Son of a
by ZephyrTheBunny
Summary: David Karofsky is the son of Hades and Persephone and is in love with Kurt. AU from the second season.
1. Prequel One

**So, I'm a huge fan of Greek mythology (always have been). I'm also a huge fan of Percy Jackson (NOT the movie). My two favorite stories of Greek mythology have always been "Hades and Persephone" and "Eros and Psyche". I even have statues of "The Rape of Proserpina" by Bernini and "Psyche Revived by Cupid's Kiss" by Canova in my bedroom.**

**I'm not _entirely_ certain where this is going, but it's been driving me mad for months now.**

**Kore is pronounced Core-ay and is one of Persephone's names.**

**AU from season 2**

**There will be two prequel chapters to help set the scene.**

**Sorry about the formal tone in this chapter, it just felt right to me.**

**Warning: Incest (It's Greek mythology, what did you expect?)**

xoxoxo

"Oh, Hermes, if you have any sympathy in your entire body you will beat me, over the head, to death, with your caduceus." Hades let out a much beleaguered sigh as he eyed his brother's palace banquet hall with ageless weary.

Hermes released an amused chuckle and surveyed the room and all of its occupants. "It isn't _that_ horrible. Besides, we only have these family gatherings once a century. How painful can it possibly be for you to endure a single night?"

"Observe your half-sister Aphrodite for half a moment. She hasn't stopped glancing at me and whispering mischievously to Artemis since I arrived. This promises to be a _long_ and arduous night."

"What did you do to anger her so much?" Hermes nudged his shoulder against Hades, flashing his uncle a sly smile in the process.

"Nothing you are accusing me of. I swear on my mother I have never touched that woman in a familiar way." Shaking his head, Hades sighed yet again. "She is love. I am death. I inevitably undo all of her glorious work. She hates me like a young beauty hates the ravages of time."

"I didn't take you as the poetic type, Hades." By now the two gods had found themselves at a long banquet-style table. One of Dionysus's Maenads, his female servants, poured wine for them.

"Occasionally your half-brother Apollo inspires me."

"With that being said, I must go see my siblings. As messenger, there is always much work to be done." Hermes tipped his glass to his friend before heading off on his way.

Hades turned towards the buffet table. It was piled high with the finest meats of the land, sea and air, the best fruits and vegetables from the world over, cheeses, alcohols, breads: a feast worthy only of the gods. Always the awkward outcast at such gatherings, he self-consciously began picking at the various fares, occasionally shooting glances over his shoulder to see which of his relatives were speaking ill of him or simply glaring at him distastefully.

He found himself contemplating several varieties of cheeses when a slender arm reached past him towards a bowl of lush, ripe fruit. The arm, belonging to a short, young wisp of a girl, couldn't quite reach the bowl. Smiling down at what he assumed to be a young nymph he raised the bowl and drew it closer to her. The young girl selected a particularly red pomegranate and returned his smile pleasantly. "Thank you, Uncle."

Hades furrowed his brow in confusion. "Forgive my ignorance; who are you?"

Her smile grew wider; generally, when dealing with her relatives, being a young girl with no power, position, or domain, she was generally asked '_whose_ are you?' "I am Kore, daughter of your sister, Demeter."

Hades nodded solemnly, "I seem to recall hearing something about that. Well, my niece, it's a _pleasure _to meet you." He meant it. It was nice, for once, to be treated as a man, rather than the God of Death. Most mortals met him with fear, accusation or loathing, his siblings with petty distaste, his siblings' offspring with unrestrained scorn. It grew tiresome very quickly. He watched her as her tiny child-fingers worked the pomegranate over, slowly relieving it of its skin, and one by one, its seeds. "You must greatly love the taste of the pomegranates to put so much effort into such tiny rewards."

She smiled back up at him; her bright eyes shining as she coyly pinched a seed into her mouth. "They are my favorite of my mother's bounty."

Hades felt something stirring inside: a strange and foreign feeling, not entirely welcome, but not entirely uncomfortable either.

xoxoxo

"Eros, my son, come to me." Eros dutifully went to the sound of his mother's voice. "Do you see what I see?"

Eros followed his mother's gaze, spotting Hades alongside Demeter's young daughter. "It appears Uncle has met Kore."

Aphrodite let out a short, shrill laugh, unbecoming of someone with her beauty. "Oh, it is so much more than that, my son. He _likes_ her. Imagine the audacity? He ruins the greatest of my work and I have sworn to myself that he shall _never_ feel the soothing warmth of love nor the fiery passion of lust. I _may_ have been too quick to pledge that to myself, however." Aphrodite petted her son affectionately. She had cursed him to never love as well, too afraid of losing her loyal little pet. But what he didn't know, couldn't hurt, could it? "What is the one thing worse than never knowing love, my sweet?"

Eros contemplated a moment. "To love that which you can never have?"

Aphrodite smiled. "Exactly. Demeter hates the God of Death almost as much as I do. And she treasures her daughter more than all of humanity. I say we let Hades endure his little crush on Kore. Your arrows will make his love for her burn like a thirst that cannot be quenched." Eros felt a sinking feeling in his gut. He hated when his mother got like this. "And Demeter will never approve of Hades. She will approve of _no man_. Kore will forever be a young maiden like Artemis. And Hades will forever pine for her." Stroking Eros' face, she turned him to look at her. "We'll strike _after_ the party."

xoxoxo

Eros watched Kore playing with her half-sisters (by their father, Zeus), Athena and Artemis as well as some woodland nymphs. From his hiding spot he could see her plainly, as well as the road he knew Hades to be traveling on. He strung the strongest of his arrows and aimed it up the road, awaiting Hades' arrival over the horizon. He felt horrible about this. He bore his uncle no ill will. And there was no way Kore could come out of this unscathed…unless…_unless_…

With an aim as true as Apollo's, Eros unleashed the arrow the moment Hades' chariot became a dot on the horizon. Being a magical arrow, Hades was unaware of being struck by anything but a sudden, overwhelming urge to see his young niece again.

As Hades' chariot came closer, Eros made up his mind. Quickly stringing a second arrow, he pivoted and took aim at the young girl frolicking in the flowers. With a nearly inaudible _twang,_ the arrow soared through the trees and struck young Kore square in the heart. Suddenly losing interest in the daisy chains she had been constructing, she wandered away from her companions, something drawing her towards the road. Her mother would be angry with her, but she felt as though something were calling to her. As she neared the ruts, worn into the dirt road by wheels, she could see Hades' black chariot and steeds approaching. She felt a sudden excited heaviness in heart. Moments later, the chariot was upon her. Before she could react, Hades scooped her up and slung her over his shoulder. Startled, confused and frightened, Kore let out a panicked scream before the chariot raced into a hole in the ground as the Earth swallowed them up.

When Demeter discovered her beloved daughter missing, she forbid the Earth to grow, holding the mortal world hostage until her daughter could be found.

xoxoxo

"Please, my love, stop crying." Hades kneeled on the ground before his own throne where he had placed his prize. "You will be happy here. I promise you that. I will deny you _nothing_. You shall rule beside me as my queen and I shall name you Persephone." He tentatively placed a hand on the crying girl's knee, afraid of frightening her more. "I have instructed my servant, Ascalaphus, to plant you your very own pomegranate orchard. Will that make you happy?" When she kept sniffling, refusing to even look up at him, he continued on, "I am the god of wealth. Would you like some pretty jewels? They grow like fruit from the trees of the Underworld. You will be the finest lady in all the world, my love, just _please_ say something to me."

"Why?"

Hades smiled an indulgent smile like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Why? Because I _love_ you. I love you like I have loved no other. And unlike my kin, I swear I _shall_ never love another."

"You didn't need to kidnap me." Hade stroked the wet and matted hair away from her eyes. "I love you too, you need only have _asked_."

xoxoxo

"I swear if you don't tell me where she is, every last human on Earth will _starve_." Demeter attempted to stare down the council of Olympians; Zeus, Hera, Poseidon, Athena, Hestia, Apollo, Artemis, Ares, Aphrodite, Hephaestus, Hermes and Dionysus. Several fidgeted uncomfortably, namely, Hermes, Apollo, and Zeus.

After several tense moments, Zeus broke the silence. "I feel your pain sister. I too suffer the loss of our daughter." Demeter sent a truly hateful look his way; he had never had any place in her life save the conception. Sensing Demeter's tangible anger at him, he licked his lips and continued on. "The fact remains, we cannot tell you what we do not know."

Demeter, feigning an air of reason, nodded her accordance with that statement. "So be it, then 'the fact remains' that not so much as a blade of grass shall grow upon the entirety of the wretched Earth until my daughter is found and returned to me." Scanning her audience, Demeter saw that they looked unmoved. "And, in case you need reminding, mortals require the fruit of the land to live. If they die, there shall be none to pray to you, none to worship and fear your name, none to sacrifice the fat of their stock to you." As she listed off each loss the gods would suffer, more and more began to look nervous. Several began whispering amongst themselves.

Taking a deep breath, Apollo stepped forward. "I see all that happens under the light of the sun. Your daughter is with Hades. He has taken her to his domain."

Demeter's lip began to quiver with disgust.

xoxoxo

"Uncle Hades! You are found out!"

Hades looked up from his work to see Hermes flying into his throne room. The enormity of Hermes' words sunk in slowly. Standing up and knocking aside stacks of parchment documenting the inventory of the Underworld, Hades grasped his chest directly over his heart. "I cannot…I cannot _lose_ her, Hermes."

Hermes placed his palms on Hades' shoulders, steadying him. "All is not lost yet, there is hope. Where is she now?"

Hades thought that over, when she left their bedchamber this morning, where had she said she was going? "The orchards…she's in the orchards."

Hermes nodded, "All the better."

xoxoxo

Hermes quickly found Ascalaphus and gave him very detailed instructions. "Do you understand? A god cannot lead her astray by lying so bluntly, but you, a nymph, can do this for your master." Ascalaphus nodded. Hades had always been a good master to him and he would willingly give his life for him. "Do you swear that you act of your own free will?" Ascalaphus swore. "Do you swear that I am not leading you astray? That you know what you are to say is a lie?" Ascalaphus swore. "Good. Be on with it then."

xoxoxo

Ascalaphus held a pomegranate in his hand. He peeled the skin back as he watched his mistress swinging from a bench under one of her trees. "Are you hungry, my lady?"

Persephone looked up at the servant her husband had given her. He was a beautiful nymph, born to the Underworld and forever young. "The law of the Fates is that those who eat or drink in the Underworld must remain forever. I could not live knowing I'd never see the sun again."

Ascalaphus smiled. "Such a law is not for those such as yourself. Such a law is for mortals. Not gods. Have you not seen Hermes drink of my master's wine? Or eat of these very orchards?" Persephone contemplated that. "And does he not come and go as he pleases?"

Ascalaphus held his hand out to Persephone. Cupping her hand beneath his, Ascalaphus dropped six plump pomegranate seeds into her awaiting grasp.

xoxoxo

Hades tried to maintain his composure as his sister screamed at him. His youngest brother stood beside her, attempting to keep her under control. "Where is she? I will cast you down into Tartarus _myself_ if you don't return her!"

Hades raised his eyes to the door as Ascalaphus entered, followed closely by Persephone. "Momma!" Persephone raced into her mother's open arms. She truly did love her husband, but after spending so many years by her mother's side, it was only natural that she yearned for her.

"Oh, my baby girl! How I have missed you!" The two women continued their embrace.

Zeus and Hades eyed each other over wearily. Zeus regretted that his brother was losing his bride, especially since he had never before sought one, but, it was what it was. Looking over at his daughter and her mother, Zeus sighed with sorrow for his brother, but couldn't help noticing how calm he was about all of this. "Are we done here, Brother?" Hades nodded. Zeus once again returned his attention to Demeter. "Come on, let us depart this place."

Demeter, her hand firmly clasped on Persephone's shoulder turned her back to Hades and steered Persephone away from him. Hades stood up from his throne. "Sister, hold." Demeter, Zeus, and Persephone all turned to face Hades. "You may _see_ her; you may not _have_ her."

Releasing her daughter, Demeter stormed up to her eldest brother. "She is my daughter. Neither her father nor I gave you our blessing. She is _mine_ and you have no RIGHT to her."

Hades took a steadying breath, it wasn't often he stood up to his siblings. Despite being the oldest, and therefore having some limited authority over them, he was naturally a very non-confrontational person. Persephone was the first thing, living or otherwise, to steer him from his usual calm, logical, and impassive demeanor. "I may not, but the Underworld does."

Demeter narrowed her eyes. "What do you mean?"

Ascalaphus stepped forward. "She has consumed food while in the Underworld. By the laws of the Fates, she is bound to it."

Persephone, outrage written plain across her features ran up to Ascalaphus, "You told me the law did not apply to the gods!"

Demeter's face fell. "Daughter, say you didn't!"

Persephone pointed accusatorily at Ascalaphus "He told me…" She then turned to Hermes; "You dine with Hades often, how are you immune to the law?"

Hermes shrugged. "I feast on that which is sacrificed in my name. No god can be denied his sacrifices; _that_ law supersedes the law that the Fates have set forth."

Persephone shook her head, realizing she was doomed to eternity in the Underworld. Demeter turned a vengeful eye on Ascalaphus. "_You…_you devious, treacherous, wretched little _worm_!" Demeter held her hand up towards Ascalaphus, a sparkling orb of energy in her grasp.

"I forbid you from harming my servant!"

Demeter shot her brother a hateful look. The orb changed in color and intensity. Leaving her hand like the arrow had from Eros' bow, the orb shot at Ascalaphus, enveloping him in light and crackling energy. When the power flare had died down, a small owl was in his place. "I may not be permitted to harm your servant, but know this, _dear_ _brother_," she spit the words like venom, "all life now suffers and dies because of _you_."

Hades returned the hate in Demeter's eyes, ounce for ounce. "I have done _nothing_. I took a bride, as _all_ gods are right to do so. What else have I ever asked of my siblings, my family? I go about my work, as it _must_ be done and am _loathed_ for it. You think I _wanted_ to be stuck with this accursed world of darkness?"

"No, so you punish others for your unhappiness!"

"I do not punish others! I seek my _own_ happiness. Would you deny me that?"

"No, but I would gladly deny you my daughter!"

Zeus' voice roared out like thunder, "ENOUGH! Demeter, you cannot kill off all life. Hades, you cannot keep this child you have unlawfully tricked."

"I didn't-"

"You did and you know it, Brother. _Now…_let us reach a consensus."

xoxoxo

Persephone, though she loved her husband dearly, loved her mother just as fondly. So after much debate, much arguing, many thrown tables, and damaged walls, an agreement was reached. Persephone would stay with her husband for six months out of the year and with her mother for six.

Demeter, to remind the world of Hades' treachery, swore to make the Earth barren during her daughter's absence, which, in her opinion, had the added benefit of increasing Hades' workload during the time he had with his wife since more people die during the height of winter than summer.

Persephone, as soon as she was alone with her husband, after all had been settled, despite caring for him very much, made certain to display her displeasure at being tricked by slapping him as hard as she could across the face when he least expected it.

Though not as active in the affairs of mortals as their relatives, during the height of Grecian and Roman civilization they did play their part.

As per his promise, Hades did remain the most loyal of husbands (by god standards), having only two mishaps regarding other women (all due to Aphrodite's meddling) that Persephone was quick to set right.

And though they tried wholeheartedly, they found that new-life was not suited to the Underworld and that they could not conceive the family they so desperately desired…_until._

_xoxoxo_

**So, this is the first prequel. The second will deal with how they were finally able to have David.**

**For anyone who thinks I've said something wrong about Greek mythology, I have done my fair share of consulting with different texts (relying more so on the original stories [translated into English of course] and NOT the modern, dumbed down children and school versions). Bare in mind that these stories were told by dozens of different scholars during the Ancient Grecian era, so some thing are bound to change between the different versions (most notably, the number of pomegranate seeds. I decided to go with six [as opposed to four] since it's more fair to Hades). And of course some liberties have been taken for the story's sake!**


	2. Prequel Two

Sophie, as Persephone now called herself, sat in a swing in her mother's backyard in the south of France. It was the start of spring and she already missed Hades…or Paul as he was calling himself nowadays. They changed their "mortal" names every few decades to fit in with the current trends. Before "Paul," Hades had called himself "Don," before that "Hayden."

Her mother was on a trip to a vineyard for the day; Sophie had declined to join her. She had more interesting prospects. She was almost thinking Paul had rethought his message to her when she felt a gentle hand on her shoulder. Paul's lips ghosted over her neck, "I have missed you _so_ much."

"It's only been a few _days." _Sophie craned her neck to reach her husband's lips with her own.

"A few days…a few _lifetimes_. What does it matter? Every year, it gets harder and harder. Is it so wrong for a man to want his wife?" He cupped her cheek in his hand and kissed her more deeply this time.

"If my mother finds you here, she'll accuse you of breaking the treaty and there'll be hell to pay." Sophie looked away, genuine concern on her face.

"Well, then, I suppose it's fortuitous that I'm the king of hell, isn't it?" He placed his index finger under Sophie's chin, trying to get her to look his way again. "Besides, it is _so rare_ that we take risks. It's not like we gamble like this everyday…or even every _century_."

Sophie took Paul's hand in hers and began kissing his fingers one by one. "It has been four hundred and seventy six years since you came to me in the spring."

"Then how about we make use of the time and my temporary lapse of judgment?" Paul smiled at his wife wantonly before taking her in his arms.

xoxoxo

_**Several months later…**_

"I don't know why you doubt my words, Demeter, I promise you, she _is_ pregnant." Sophie, oblivious to Hera and Demeter's argument, absent-mindedly rubbed circles on her slowly inflating stomach. How many years had it taken them? How many _millennia_?

"It isn't _possible_! You said so yourself. 'Life cannot be conceived or brought forth in the Underworld!' That is why Hades gives his nymphs passes of permission when they wish to start families." Demeter stroked her daughter's hair. She wasn't _displeased_ that Sophie was going to be a mother, just…_confused._

Hera shrugged nonchalantly. "I did say that, didn't I? However, what I _have not_ stated was that _this_ child was conceived in the Underworld."

Sophie's eyes went wide; _that_ part she had heard.

"What do you mean…" Demeter's voice died off at the end of her question, realization dawning on her. "_Kore! _Have you…has he? Oh, you had better tell me that there's a mortal man involved in this Kore, or so help me…"

"He's my _husband_! I couldn't stand to be away from him!"

Demeter covered half of her face with her hand as she began pacing the floor. "How could you? How could you _betray_ me like this?"

As her mother passed by, Sophie grabbed her free hand in her own. "Momma, please! How have I betrayed you? He has taken none of my time from you. You were away, and I was lonely."

Demeter shook her head, refusing to look at her daughter. "You lied to me. You went behind my back and you lied to me."

"I'm a grown woman, Momma. I have needs. Why am I the only goddess forbidden to growing up?"

Demeter pulled her hand out of Sophie's grasp and waved her away. "I cannot look at you right now…please, leave my sight."

Sophie stood up, barely containing her tears. Looking between Hera and her mother she turned and ran from the house.

xoxoxo

Sophie was sitting under a wisteria trellis when she felt a presence approach. From the corner of her eye, she could see Hera crouch beside her. "I have never liked you much, you know."

Sophie let out a wet sniffle. Hera's words weren't very comforting.

"You are one of my husband's children, and for that I hated you from the very start. And then you manage to bag yourself the single most honorable and faithful man the line of Cronus and Rhea ever produced. I'll admit, given my husband's frequent wanderings, I'm very jealous of that. How many affairs has Hades had? One? Two?"

Sophie wiped the tears roughly from across the bridge of her nose with the back of her hand. "None." Hera looked rather disbelieving at that. "He pursued two; Menthe and Leuce. I turned Menthe into mint and Leuce into a poplar tree."

Hera raised her eyebrow at that. "Aren't they both emblems of your?"

Sophie shrugged. "They weren't to be blamed. It was Aphrodite's fault. Aphrodite sent Menthe as revenge on Hades and me for foiling her plan to have Hades be without love his entire life. She sent Leuce as revenge for reuniting Eros with his love, Psyche."

Hera snickered softly, "Oh yes, that certainly sounds like my husband's _other_ bastard daughter."

"They were good women; they didn't deserve what Aphrodite did to them."

Hera stroked Sophie's hair matronly. "You are so much like your husband. Like him, you are one of the most level-headed and _simple_ of the gods. You are easy to please and slow to anger. So much _unlike_ myself. I can no longer hate you, no longer be angry with you, not knowing what I know. How hard it must be for you to live on the cusp of war: a war between your husband and your mother." Hera stood up abruptly walking away from Sophie.

"Where are you going?"

Hera stopped and looked over her shoulder, "You want this child, yes?" At Sophie's nod she continued, "You cannot return to the Underworld until after he is born. Therefore, the terms of your imprisonment must be renegotiated. I am going to send for my husband and yours."

Sophie pursed her lips at Hera. "I am _not_ imprisonedby my husband."

Hera smiled at her, "No, you aren't. Not by _him_." With that, Hera looked off towards Demeter's house before smiling once again at Sophie and disappearing.

xoxoxo

"_He_ broke the terms of the contract. Besides, the baby can't be born in the Underworld. Therefore I should get to keep my daughter!"

Zeus raised a hand to calm his sister. "I don't disagree with you, however, Hades is still entitled to his child and his wife."

"This is absolute bullshit, Zeus! I won't be denied my daughter any longer! The winters grow longer and colder the more barren my heart grows without her. Give her back to me!"

"Momma, please stop yelling!"

Demeter, as usual, ignored her daughter's plaintive cries. "So help me Zeus, if you betray me on this again and side with him," Demeter shoved a finger in Paul's face, "this world will look like the Sahara Desert. Only Poseidon will have any life in his kingdom."

"I am sick of your threats and blackmail, Demeter!"

Just as Zeus stood toe to toe with his older sister, Paul raised his thumb and index fingers to his lips and let out an ear-splitting whistle. Everyone present looked at the man that had, till now, been relatively silent in the matter. "Rip up the contract."

"What?" Demeter squinted an eye at Paul, and tried to figure out where he was going with this.

"Just what I said. Rip up the contract. No more contracts."

"Then where will Sophie-"

"For _mother's sake_, she's thirty five hundred years old! Let _her_ decide! Let her come and go from my kingdom as she pleases. As much as it pains me to know I may lose her in this, I'm sick of harming _her_ by fighting with _you_." It was the first time Sophie had heard her husband raise his voice since he had gotten into a fight with Apollo about the Black Death.

Zeus nodded, acknowledging Paul's speech as the first logical thing said all day. "I concur. Every time I'm called to arbitrate these dammed fights the only thing we succeed in doing is causing famine for the mortals and making Sophie pick between the two people she loves most. Let there be _no_ contract."

"But…but…" Demeter shot angry and confused glances between her two brothers.

Paul, refusing to look at Demeter shook his head mournfully. "Don't you get it, Demeter? You've won. No child should be raised in the Underworld. You'll get Sophie…I'll get…_visitation rights_." Paul closed his eyes, his hands folded across his chest. To Sophie, he looked like a dying man. But as much as it pained her, he was right, and she couldn't think of anything to say to reassure him.

xoxoxo

Sophie decided to name him David, for he was beloved. She knew that much even before she held him in her arms, but as she held him now, she knew it that much more. She kissed the crown of his head and felt the soft baby fur brush against her lips. He was a full-blooded god, unlike so many that had been born in the past two millennia. He would have his own domain to oversee someday. Something trivial, likely, but it was too soon to tell. Sometimes gods grew bored of one of their domains and passed it on to a younger god. Who could tell what the future held?

xoxoxo

Paul stood before the Fates. He had been with his wife as their son was born and had spent as much time as he could with them before he could feel the never-ending workload of the Underworld calling for him. "Please, I humble myself before you. I cannot go on like this. I need my wife. I need my _son_. How can I escape my cage?"

For a moment, he thought they were ignoring him. It wasn't uncommon. If he was not meant to know the future, they wouldn't share with him. Nor would they offer any advice. After what seemed like ages, they spoke. "No god desires the throne of the Underworld; no mortal deserves it. The Underworld is your burden to bare, but, should you desire, it is yours to share."

Paul closed his eyes and quietly thanked whatever power might be greater than himself. "Who? Who do I appoint to run the Underworld for me in my absence?"

"You are unyielding in your rule…only a tyrant could take your place." Paul felt rather insulted at that. "You rule justly…your replacement must not bend against the law." Paul nodded, he agreed with that assessment. Only Sophie had ever convinced him to go against his own laws. "The largest kingdom in all of creation must be defended…only a great military strategist should sit on your throne." Another thing Paul agreed with. "The most great and evil men shall pass through your halls…only a skeptic can judge them fairly." Inside his head, Paul was screaming _Get on with it. _"The best council must come from within…seek one who knows themselves above all others. Pick your friends wisely…your replacement must know to whom to appoint power. A stable kingdom is one that looks to the future…your understudy must have a sight that rivals our own."

Paul shook his head, this sounded like the impossible. "I know my kingdom inside and out. No one is that perfect."

The three fates echoed back his own words, "No _**one**_ is…"

Paul thought about that for a moment and smiled. "Of _course_! The Seven Sages!" He ran off to locate them in the Elysium Fields before stopping himself short and turning back to the old women. "Have I ever told you how much I love you?"

xoxoxo

Paul knocked on his wife's door. It had been difficult getting past his mother-in-law without making a crude comment of some kind, but he was in too good of a mood to bait the old harpy. Sophie was currently nursing the two-week-old David. She smiled up at Paul as he entered the room. "Don't you have work, love?"

Paul licked his lips and nodded. "Of course, as always. But, significantly _less_ now." Sophie cocked her head to the side. "I have delegated some of my more time-consuming, monotonous chores to the Seven Sages." Sophie's eyes lit up. "I'm thinking we could get our own place…our own _home _in the mortal world. Somewhere we can raised David like a _normal_ child."

Sophie smiled and rushed into Paul's arms, nearly crushing David in the process. "He'll always know he's a _god_. It's pretty hard to hide something like _that_."

Paul shrugged, "Ok, normal-ish."

xoxoxo

_**Seventeen years later…**_

Paul was in the driver's seat, sitting beside David. The drive home from the principal's office was rather awkward and quiet. David stared out the side window, trying to avoid his father's occasional glances. When they were only a few blocks from home, Paul broke the silence. "You threatened to _kill_ him?"

David groaned.

"Do I _want_ to read into that?" Paul glanced over at David who had his neck craned so far towards the window he was practically looking backward. "Were you serious in your threat?"

"God, _no_ Dad!" David met his father's gaze with an angry look. "It's just something _mortals_ say. If every mortal made good on their threat to kill someone there would _be no mortals_. Jesus."

Paul shook his head. David was changing lately and he just couldn't figure it out.


	3. Interstitial

Kurt had agreed with Blaine on every point as to why they should break up…didn't make it hurt any less. And at least Kurt had the comfort of knowing he and Blaine would still be friends. So why was this so hard for him? _Because he was your first love_. Kurt kept his hands in his pockets as he made his way across the parking lot. _Breadsticks: what a strange place for a let's-just-be-friends speech_. Kurt crossed over towards his car, stopping for a moment while he fished his keys out if his pocket.

A bright light suddenly encased his vision. Looking up and squinting, Kurt could see two bright yellow orbs bearing down on him and heard the distinct sound of metallic squealing.

Then everything went dark.

xoxoxo

He was in a boat: a dark boat on a murky river. Countless people stood around him, none talking or acknowledging anyone else. He didn't bother pondering why it was so quiet because _he_ wasn't all that interested in talking either.

He couldn't be certain how long the boat ride lasted, or where or when he had gotten on. He didn't question any of this; the boat ride just seemed as natural to him as his own name.

When it came to an end, Kurt silently followed the masses as they disembarked: no one being told which way to go, but all seeming to know.

After walking across the shore for another untold amount of time, Kurt passed by a dog. It was like a pure black Great Dane, only instead of one head, it had three. Kurt didn't question this either.

Along either side of the path they seemed to be following, Kurt could see shadows moving about. If he could focus his thoughts, or his eyes for that matter, he might have noticed that they looked faintly like people: dark, transparent, intangible people.

As they approached their first destination, Kurt was vaguely aware of three men sitting at a large, wooden desk. They seemed to arbitrarily point at different people and direct them to the left, to the right or back from where they had come. Those that were directed to go back became just like the dark, transparent, intangible shadows that Kurt had seen before.

When he neared the desk awaiting his own turn one of the judges pointed at him, then held still. In fact, everything seemed to go still. Then, from every direction, even inside his own head, Kurt heard a gentle, yet authoritative voice, "_A DEBT REPRIEVED; CONTRITION RELIEVED."_

With that, the world seemed to melt away.

xoxoxo

Kurt opened his eyes, immediately regretting it. Pain shot through his head and the light was far too bright. "He's waking up." Kurt squinted into the light, trying to find the source of the sound. "Mr. Hummel? Mr. Hummel can you hear me?"

"Where am I?"

"Mr. Hummel you're in an ambulance. You were hit by a car. You have a concussion, but nothing seems broken. We're taking you to Lima Memorial." Kurt was passed out again before the paramedic had finished saying 'broken.'


	4. A Summer's Eve

**For the sake of colloquialisms:**

**Cotton candy = candy floss = fairy floss**

**Fried dough = doughboys = elephant ears = funnel cake**

**Lime rickey = lime juice and seltzer/soda water**

xoxoxo

"I thought fairs usually took place near the harvest, in the fall?" Blaine gestured to the rides and amusements surrounding them with his cotton candy. A small part of Kurt had been worried that, when they broke up, things would be awkward and they wouldn't be friends anymore. But, so far, a month later, things were just like they had been before they started dating…minus the torch-carrying and yearning on Kurt's part.

"Yes, well, Lima's economy is no longer dictated by the turning of the seasons, the migration of wild fowl, growth of wheat, mating of sheep." Kurt pulled a chunk off his fried dough and began waving abstract designs with it in the air. "No, my friend, we are an _evolved_ species."

Blaine considered Kurt's assertion for a moment. "You'd _think_ that would be the case, wouldn't you? A lot of important dates in our _modern_ society are actually dictated by the harvest: most notably the school year. Children needed to be home during the summer to assist with the planting, tending, etc." Kurt nodded, thoughtfully. "And then there's Election Day, which was decided based on the harvest as well. It was assumed by early November, the harvest would be completed therefore allowing more people to travel, if necessary, to vote. And then there's _tax season_. It's believed that the date of tax season was decided because the government wanted to settle its affairs with its wealthier citizens before they escaped for their summer vacations. What wealthy landowner would want to be home and burdened by watching their underlings toil the land all summer?"

Kurt nodded, "Yes, but you're forgetting the recent push to eliminate summer vacation. Many countries have already done away with it, as per my understanding."

"Dear god…don't _threaten _like that." Blaine smiled and nudged Kurt playfully.

"Oh, look. Baby animals."

Blaine chuckled at that. "Kurt you have the attention span of a gnat. Oh look! Shiny things!" Kurt shot Blaine a long-suffering look and rolled his eyes. An incubator of baby chicks was the first display of farm life in the "stock barn" where fair grounds displayed different types of livestock for non-farm dwellers to "Ooo" and "Ahh" over and knowledgeable farm-owners to haggle over and compare. Blaine was not so much interested in the babies as the full-grown chickens. "You know, I think chickens may be one of the best pieces of evidence for the theory of evolution as opposed to intelligent design."

Kurt narrowed his eyes as he took one of the baby chicks the owner held out for him to see. "Please elaborate on that point."

Blaine shrugged, "Well look. We have…Bantams, Cornish, Road Island Reds, Dutch, Brahma…There has to be at least a hundred different breeds: all completely different. If there _were_ an intelligent creator, it just seems like an awful waste of time and resources for a bunch of birds that perform the same basic service."

Kurt, no longer interested in petting the baby, handed it back to the owner. "Can we not talk about religion, Blaine? Or lack thereof?" Kurt had felt very conflicted in his beliefs since the car accident a month before. He knew near-death experiences usually had perfectly reasonable scientific explanations, but…this had just felt _so real_. He didn't necessarily believe in "God" per se…but there had to be something more.

"Ummm…sure." Blaine turned away from the chickens and followed Kurt as they went down the aisles. They passed by caged geese, ducks, and rabbits. Blaine wanted to stop and pet the rabbits, but something had changed in Kurt's manner in the past few minutes, making him seem sullen and depressed, so Blaine didn't press the issue. As they passed out of that particular barn and into another, they were met by pens of larger livestock. As Kurt passed by a pen containing goats, one stood on the metal rungs of his pens and reached his head towards Kurt. Kurt stopped and stroked its head. As simple as that, Kurt was smiling again. Blaine stared fondly at his friend, wishing he was comfortable enough to ask Kurt what was wrong, what had happened during the car crash to make him have such sudden changes in demeanor since then.

Being a casual equestrian, Blaine found his attention redirected by the horses at the other end of the barn. A jet black Friesian seemed to suck in all the light in his immediate vicinity, completely entrancing Blaine. A young woman was brushing its coat while a boy, probably Blaine's age, was mucking out the stall. The man was about as impressive as the horse, in Blaine's assessment. He could only see him from behind, but he seemed tall and strong. He had an obviously broad back, usually meaning a broad chest, as well, and powerful shoulders. Not usually his type, Blaine preferred lithe and pretty, but he would probably be some nice eye candy for Kurt.

Once the man was done mucking out the stall, he climbed over the partition and began steering the wheelbarrow full of soiled hay in Blaine's direction. Blaine had a good view of his face now and couldn't keep himself from starting in surprise. "Is that Karofsky?" Karofsky turned a corner with the wheelbarrow, but not before Kurt had gotten a good look.

"What's he doing here?"

David came back around the corner again, this time with the wheelbarrow empty. As he headed away from them and back towards the horse, Blaine shrugged. "I think he's displaying his horse." Blaine expected Kurt to beg their leave, but couldn't help be startled, again, when Kurt passed by him on a direct course to David. Snapping himself out of it, Blaine jogged a bit to catch up with Kurt. To Blaine's further surprise, Kurt didn't stop when he reached David, but rather went right up to the black steed and began stroking its muzzle.

Blaine smiled congenially at David once David noticed his and Kurt's presence. "Hello, David."

"Uhhh…hey. _B-blaine_? Hey, Kurt." Blaine noticed the way David stuttered over his name and the slight pitch change signifying a question. It amused him to know that he knew just about everything about David, while David wasn't even certain of Blaine's name.

"Hello, David. I never really pictured you as being a farm boy."

David blushed at the knowledge that he had ever crossed Kurt's mind. "Um...not really a _farm_. My mom owns a nursery. Mavro and Cypress are just pets." David gestured to the young woman Blaine had noticed earlier tending to a second horse Blaine hadn't been able to see before. Blaine quirked an eyebrow. There was no way that woman was David's mother…sister maybe, not mother. She barely looked twenty-five.

Kurt looked at David incredulously, "A nursery? As in flowers and plants?"

David blushed even deeper and looked away from Kurt's amused stare. "Yeah. Technically my nana owns it, but my mom runs it. _Eternal Spring…_it's on the edge of town."

Kurt smiled broadly, "I know it! That's where we got the flowers for my parent's wedding! And some of the landscaping bushes at our new home."

David raised his eyes again, returning Kurt's smile. "I knew about the wedding flowers…I helped process the order...when I was..._expelled_. I didn't know about the landscaping." Blaine looked between the two boys. David was obviously enamored of Kurt…Kurt on the other hand, Blaine couldn't read quite as well.

Kurt crossed his arms over his chest and took a playfully mocking stance. "_You_ work at a flower store?"

The young woman David claimed was his mother placed a hand on David's forearm, getting everyone's attention. "_Nursery._ Where's your dad?" She directed the first part of her statement at Kurt, the second at David.

David thought that over a minute, "He went to the lime rickey stand…and then to get a chowder bowl. I _think_." Sophie petted her son's cheek, nodded in greeting at her son's two friends and left. She never liked any of the boys David brought home. These two seemed different than the normal types, but she really wasn't interested in listening to what would, no doubt, eventually be a football or videogame conversation.

Blaine watched as Sophie exited the barn. "Your step-mom's beautiful."

"Mom…not _step_-mom."

Kurt scoffed. "There is no way she is your mother. How old was she when you were born, six?"

David shrugged. "Believe what you want, she's my mom. Blaine, can you stop feeding my horse, please?" Blaine furrowed his brow and looked down. A smaller version of the two black Friesians had its head stuck between the rungs of its pen, its little lips grasping at Blaine's long-forgotten cotton candy. Blaine pulled his cotton candy away, leaving a significant chunk of it in the foal's mouth who then proceeded to munch away contentedly on it. "That's Lygo. He's Mavro and Cyprus' baby."

Blaine reached his hand out to stroke Lygo's head, but the baby, fearing Blaine was trying to take his snack away ducked his head back between the bars and went to stand under his father. Blaine could hear Kurt cooing "Oh…he's so precious. How old is he?" Kurt leaned over the partition to get a better look at the baby.

"Umm…about six weeks, I think?"

"So how often do you work at the nursery?" Blaine was starting to feel left out as Kurt and David dominated the conversation.

"Full-time during the summer. Mostly just on the weekends once school's back in session. There isn't as much to do during the winter. I mostly work at my dad's jewelry story, then."

"A jewelry story? A man after my own heart." Kurt had his feet on the bottom rung of the pen now as he leaned towards David. _Definitely interested in him,_ Blaine decided. "What do you do at your dad's work?"

David shrugged, "Inventory and some basic accounting. I'm good at anything math-ish, but it doesn't interest me as much."

Kurt nodded, understanding. "What _does_ interest you?" _Dear god_ Blaine thought to himself, _could you __**be**__ any more obvious, Kurt_?

David, licked his lips awkwardly, either picking up Kurt's meaning or reading his own meaning into it. "I dunno. Not work-wise anyway. I'm interested in a lot of things." David leaned on the partition, his torso angled towards Kurt. Kurt and David just kept each other's gaze for a moment before David looked around, panicked and turned his back on Kurt, trying to make himself look busy as he began fiddling with the different horse tacking.

Kurt, realizing the moment was lost, climbed back down off the partition. "Well, Blaine and I are going to go hit some rides. Maybe I'll stop by your work for some landscaping ideas, ok?"

David nodded, gulping nervously. "Um…yeah. That's fine. I'll see you around."

"Ok."

David kept nodding as Kurt and Blaine walked away. He really felt like kicking himself. He hated himself for always being afraid. Why did it always have to be so hard for him? So many of the gods took male lovers without any fear of judgment? But the idea that he might be _strictly_ attracted to guys? He'd get eaten alive. _Everyone_ knew how Aphrodite felt about male love…it was something she only ever did to punish people, or to further some unseen political agenda. He knew Aphrodite hated his parents, but why did she have to take it out on him?

Sensing his master's distress, Mavro nudged his muzzle against David's shoulder and began nipping at David's shirt, trying to get his attention off of the two mortals that had just left. David just stroked Mavro's forelock and went back to work.

xoxoxo

"So…what was that about?" Blaine looked Kurt pver. His mood had obviously changed again. Kurt just shrugged. "You like him?" He wasn't teasing, he was genuinely curious.

"It's funny, really. It's like there used to be this horrible dragon that attacked me at every turn, but then that dragon was slain and I have this beautiful knight in shining armor that protects me from all the evils of the school…only the dragon and the knight are the same person."

Blaine nodded; it was a good point. "So he's keeping up with the Bully Whips, thing?"

Kurt nodded. "When he started the Bully Whips, he lost all of his friends. None of them want to be friends with a narc. And then after Santana dumped him so publicly after prom and accused him of impotence, he really kind of lost everything. All he has left is Bully Whips. And…as _evil_ as it is for me to say, I'd say so publicly crashing and burning has done him a world of good. He's learned a bit of humility and doesn't seem so fixated on what others think of him."

"But he's obviously still _terrified_ to come out."

Kurt paid for their tickets to get on the tilt-a-whirl. And placed his messenger bag into one of the cubbies on the side of the ride. "Yes, but given what we know about the atmosphere of acceptance at McKinley, can you really blame him? And we have no idea what kind of outside pressures he has on him. Yes, his father seemed like a very reasonable, forward-thinking man the few times we met, but there are _so many_ parents out there that are fine with gays…so long as it doesn't hit home."

"True." Blaine buckled himself in and handed Kurt his own buckle that he had been sitting on. "Does this mean you're going to ask him out?"

Kurt was quiet as the ride started up. "You know…I haven't thought about that, yet."

xoxoxo

**So this was just some cutesy flirting between Kurt and David and set up for future chapters.**

**Sorry if the part about Aphrodite offended anyone, that will be elaborated on later.**

**As a side note, I looked-up tilt-a-whirl on Google to see if it was the ride I was thinking of and discovered something interesting. Go to the Google homepage and type tilt. I don't know if it works for everyone (I surfing on Safari and was logged onto my g-mail account at the time, if that makes a difference).**


	5. Homer

His name was Homer. No, he wasn't the famous, eighth century BC, orator of _The Iliad_ and _The Odyssey_. Nor was he the father of Bart, Lisa and Maggie. He was just a common, everyday, brown rat. At least he _had_ been when he had been born in the fourth century BC in the famous historian Herodotus' granary.

Living in such close vicinity to one of the most influential educators in history gave Homer the rat an insatiable love of knowledge during his short, two-year life. Homer, unlike most sensible, sentient beings, was all too happy to die when his time came. The moment he died, he set about exploring the Underworld in order to listen to the greatest thinkers, storytellers, philosophers and historians share their knowledge.

David had met Homer the rat when he (David) was only six years old, playing in his father's palace. Six-year-old David had little appreciation for the furry critter's inherent intelligence, but fell in love with the rat's ability to tell a good story. David decided there and then that rats, more specifically _this_ rat, would be one of his sacred emblems. So that's how Homer had received a new lease on life.

He was watching (or rather re-watching) Kenneth Branagh's rendition of Shakespeare's _Henry V _from the comfort of David's bed when David came home, smelling of hay, manure, and mud. Changing his dirty clothes and pausing the DVD player, David plopped down on the bed beside his best friend, careful not to sit on him. "How was the fair?"

"It was…_interesting_."

Homer eyed David curiously. Being a teenaged god, raised among mortals and trying to live amongst them, there was any number of reasons David might be having an "off-day;" Homer had long ago learned not to _assume_ anything of David. It was usually something trivial, anyway. "How did the horses do?"

"Mavro and Cypress won first place in the horse pull. Lygo was just adorable as usual."

"Mm-hmm?"

"Can I ask you something, Homer?" David didn't look at the rat, instead focusing on his nails, confusing and concerning the large rodent.

"That's part of the reason I'm here." Homer waddled over to David, placing his tiny paws on David's thigh, his tail swishing behind him.

"You know how, back during the old times, Greek guys would have young male lovers? Like Poseidon and Pelops?"

Homer couldn't fathom where such a conversation would lead, but he could see no harm in indulging David's curiosity. "You mean the eromenos and erastes? By the time I was born it was a well-established practice and I know a…_considerable_ amount about it. It wasn't as common in Halicarnassus where I was born, but even still, I know more than most. Why do you ask?" His nose and ears twitched with interest; it wasn't often David asked to be _taught_. Rather, the self-conscious, awkward teenager usually just wanted a friend who wouldn't judge.

"Can you just…tell me what you know about it? How it worked, how people felt about it?" David paused for a moment. "_…_Especially the gods."

Homer ran his fist over his muzzle and whiskers: a rat's version of a shrug. "Well, as is my understanding, it was mostly a strategic social, political, educational or employment move. The erastes would become enamored of the eromenos, for his looks, his social attachments, his intelligence…any reason. The erastes and his friends would kidnap and initiate the eromenos and, after a certain point, the eromenos would become the erastes' lover. In exchange for pleasing the erastes, the erastes would educate the eromenos. It was very much a homoerotic version of _The Apprentice_." David snorted a derisive laugh at Homer's appraisal of the practice. "It was a largely accepted practice in most major cities, but simply tolerated in others. In some areas both roles were proper, acceptable positions; in other areas the eromenos was seen as "womanly" and looked down upon while the erastes was praised for his dominance. Still, in other areas, the eromenos was pitied and seen as a mere pawn while the erastes was vilified or accused of being homosexual. The relationships were almost never…_penetrative._"

"So even with all this going on, homosexuality was _still_ frowned on…" David hung his head despondently.

Something clicked in Homer's overactive, yet minute brain. "Ah…so that's what this is about. This has something to do with your expulsion last year."

David nodded. "Yeah…Kurt, the one I bullied, and his boyfriend, came to the stall at the fair today. He was so nice to me. How can anybody be so nice to me after everything I did?"

Homer ran his fisted paw over his whiskers again. "Some people are just good souls. But you shouldn't feel bound to the ancients' feelings towards homosexuality. After all, these are the same people who regarded women as sub-human and thought the brazen bull was an acceptable form of execution."

David, his head still hanging in shame, examined Homer from the corner of his eye. "How do _you_ feel about gays?"

Homer cocked his head to the side. "My kind has a fairly high rate of homosexuality…as well as bisexuality, pan-sexuality, asexuality. It means nothing to me; I couldn't care less."

Smiling sadly, yet relieved, David stroked a sensitive spot behind Homer's ear. The mini-scholar leaned into David's affectionate touch. "I'm gay."

"You're still my friend, David."

xoxoxo

**My favorite teacher knew _way_ too much about Greek pederasty. He spent about two hours talking about it one day _just_ to explain a single line in one of Pindar's odes that mentioned Poseidon and Pelops. This is to you, Leon.**


	6. All About Love

Aaron and Sarah (Eros and Psyche) were, without a doubt, David's favorite relatives. Being the youngest of the gods, David tended to get doted on by his relatives when he saw them…at least until they remembered who his father was. Too many people were incapable of distinguishing his father from his profession; as far as most were concerned (gods and mortals, alike), the god of the dead was death itself. They conveniently forgot that the embodiment of death was Thanatos: a wholly separate god. David imagined it must be what an undertaker felt like; forever stigmatized by their profession.

Aaron and Sarah never thought like that. Sarah had become friends with Sophie when Aphrodite had forced Sarah to perform a series of tasks in order to prove herself worthy of Aaron's love. Of course Aphrodite had never _meant_ for Sarah to succeed, but, as was usually the case, Zeus had finally had to interfere in order to prevent (another) family feud.

There were two weeks left of the summer break; school would be starting soon, and Sarah and Aaron were over at the Karofsky's house having dinner with them. David was slurping his spaghetti and only casually listening in on the hum of conversation around him. They were like a real family when they were like this. Of course they _were_ a "real" family; but it was one of the few times it felt like it to David. Perhaps "real" was the wrong word. Perhaps he meant "normal," but he didn't know nearly enough about what "normal" meant to be a good judge of it. "Normal" families didn't have nymphs or furies randomly show up at their houses with business papers or deliveries. "Normal" families didn't have random minor deities come storming into their house accusing the father of the family of killing a lover or something. "Normal" families didn't have a mother-in-law that threatened another ice age every time she got in a fight with her son-in-law. This though, spaghetti, laughing, a television buzzing in the background…this was _real_, this was _normal_.

David was pulled from his reverie by his family's laughter at a joke he had only half heard. He pretended to have gotten it by laughing along with the rest of them. Aaron had obviously been talking to his father as the two men were facing each other as they shared in the amusement. David's gaze caught Aaron's attention out of the corner of his eye and his attention shifted, ever so slightly, towards David. Aaron's smile changed: the way his lips curled, the crinkling at the corner of his eyes, even the dilation of his pupils seemed to alter. It was subtle; yet profound. David's laughter died down as it dawned on him. Aaron was Eros…son of _Aphrodite_. He was the god of love.

He knew David was gay.

xoxoxo

David kept his eye on Aaron the rest of dinner. Every so often, a scene would play out in David's head. It was never the same, but always ended with David's world ending. In his visions, Aaron would simply announce that David was gay to his family, or he would describe one of David's fantasies, or he would accuse David of being a perverted freak. He saw each vision as clearly as it had already happened. But Aaron barely acknowledged him, aside from the occasional smile or simple question; "how's your summer?" "any exciting plans for school?" "what classes are you taking?" Nothing horrible; nothing incriminating. It was the most painful dinner of David's life.

As dinner wound down, Sophie and Sarah set to clearing the table; they were all for women's rights and equality in the home and workplace, it's just that several thousand years' worth of habits are hard to break. Aaron emptied the last of his wine and handed it off to Sarah, kissing her on the elbow as she passed by his chair. David decided he couldn't sit in agony anymore, "Hey, Aaron. Wan t to go downstairs and get a game of pool going?"

Aaron smiled and nodded in concordance. "Care to join us, Paul?"

Paul held his palms flat against the edge of the table and pushed his chair out, shaking his head as he did so. "Oh no, not me. I have work to complete. There is no rest for the weary."

Aaron waved his hand dismissively through the air, "Suit yourself. Let's go, Dave."

David followed Aaron off to the game room in the basement. It wasn't uncommon for the two of them to hang out together as friends. Despite being immortal and thousands of years old, each of the gods assumed the appearance, mentality, and maturity of a specific age. Sophie, as Blaine had noticed at the fair, appeared about twenty-five. Her mental and emotion age matched that, although she had a slight naiveté about her that sometimes made her seem younger. Paul looked and acted like he was in his late fifties. Sarah and Aaron both seemed to be forever stuck in their early twenties, making Aaron a better fit for David when it came to recreational activities.

Aaron had already set the table and was lining up for the break when David got downstairs. David grabbed his own pool cue and, holding it in both hands, used it as a sort of crutch as he watched the colorful balls bounce around the table. Aaron kept his hunched stance over the table as his balls slowly came to a rest with only one ball having gone into a pocket. "You've been wanting to talk to me all night, haven't you?" Another shot; this time fruitless. Aaron straightened up and looked David over.

David liked pool. He could have a full conversation with someone without once having to look them in the eye. He hated eye contact; it was a form of intimidation as far as he was concerned. His pre-school and kindergarten teachers had been concerned about his inability to make or sustain eye contact with people when he was little. His mother had had to sit him down and basically _teach_ him proper eye contact. He found that even now, at seventeen, he still counted the seconds of eye contact when he was talking to people so that it didn't seem like too much or too little. His mother had been forced to teach him a lot of things like that when he was little; things that seemed to come naturally to other people. Reading facial expressions had been murder for him in the younger grades. Sarcasm was still something he had a lot of trouble with. He had made a lot of "friends" in middle school that treated him horribly all because he couldn't understand that their playful banter with him was malicious and not meant to be endearing. When he inevitably realized his "friends" were constantly making fun of him and didn't like him…well, let's just say it got harder each time. "You're the god of love."

"Damn…wish _I'd_ known that." Aaron was smiling broadly, but forced a straight face when he saw that David was not amused or in any sort of mood to joke around. "Sorry. What's up?"

"You know don't you?" A striped ball went in the pocket the first time David shot, a solid ball the second time. He stepped away from the table to allow Aaron his turn.

Aaron made no move towards the table, instead opting to fiddle with the chalky blue tip of his cue. After a few long moments of quiet, Aaron nodded sheepishly. "Yeah. I mean, of course I do. How could I not?" He looked up at David, an apologetic smile briefly gracing his lips.

"Why does your mother _hate_ me so much? What the hell did _I_ do?"

"Hold up, why the hell does everything always have to be about _her?_ Her powers are waning. She does _not_ give a _shit_ about her domain anymore. All she cares about is her own petty little games."

David nodded. "Yeah, no kidding. Divorce rates are sky-high and I heard more and more people are opting not to get married these days."

Aaron frowned and shook her head. "That has nothing to do with her, or the collapse of society, or the degradation of morals or whatever the hell mortals like to blame the divorce rates on these days. Divorce rates are soaring because the average life expectancy is skyrocketing. A hundred years ago, you're stuck with someone you don't like, you could look at them and say, 'oh well, it's only another ten years or so before I die.' Nowadays it's 'Oh, damn…I'm going to be with them until I'm _ninety_? Don't think so; I'm outta here.' Plus there are less arranged marriages and society isn't forcing people to remain in unhappy situations. Then let's not forget that women aren't bound to men anymore. They can work and support themselves; they don't feel compelled to marry in order to _survive_. No, my mother has nothing to do with any of that…she's just basically become the goddess of one-night stands."

"So then what's her recent obsession with cursing so many people with being gay?"

Aaron narrowed his eyes and gave David a thoroughly disgusted look. "You think being gay is a _curse_?"

"Well…_yeah_."

"Gee…_thanks_." Aaron seemed completely affronted. He lined up a shot and took his aggression out on the little white cue ball, a dark look in his eyes.

"Wait, you did this to me?"

"I didn't do it _to_ you. I did it _for_ you. My mother has always had her little heteronormative, archaic philosophy. But you know what? Love exists _without_ her and her ideals. Just as the seas exist without Poseidon and knowledge exists without Apollo. She just fucks with it however she pleases. When I look at people, and decide whether they're going to be gay, straight or whatever – yes, that's _me_ – I look at the potential they have for happiness. There is no such thing as a "soul mate". Not unless _I_ say there is. But I see the possibilities of who could make you happy. If the vast majority of people that can make you happy are women, then you like women. If the vast majority of the people that can make you happy are guys, then you like guys. If it's a fairly even mix, you're bi. And David, there are _very_ few women out there that could make you happy…not in the way you deserve."

David smiled but it was a bittersweet smile. At least now he knew it wasn't his fault, wasn't something he had done to incur the wrath or the gods or that there was something _wrong_ with him. "What about my parents?"

"I've never talked to them about it. It's between you and them."

David decided the game of pool was over. Neither of them had _really_ been playing, anyway. He hung his cue back on the rack and pushed all of the balls in the pockets so they wound up back under the table where they belonged. "There's this guy…"

"Kurt?"

David smiled, a genuine, hopeful smile this time. "Yeah. _Kurt_. Are he and I…you know?"

Aaron smirked at David, one corner of his lips pulled up halfway across his cheek. "Now that's no fun. It's like reading the walkthrough before even _trying_ to play a video game. But I will tell you this:" Aaron lifted his cue stick and pointed it at David's heart. "I shot one of you _good_." With that, Aaron poked David over the peck with his cue, leaving a blue chalk mark on David's shirt before hanging up the stick and heading back upstairs.

xoxoxo

**I'm trying to introduce characters slowly (especially those with double names) so that it doesn't get confusing. The OC cast won't be too large, but I will affix a cheat sheet to the bottom of each chapter to help you. Most of them will only appear once or twice. The major players have basically all been introduced.**

**Those we've met so far:**

**David – son of Hades and Persephone**

**Paul – Hades (Pluto in Latin), god of the underworld and wealth (the Greeks believed that since precious jewels and metals came from underground that the were part of Hades realm)**

**Sophie – Persephone/Kore (Proserpina in Latin), goddess of spring and queen of the underworld**

**Aaron – Eros (Cupid in Latin), god of love**

**Sarah – Psyche (Psyche in Latin), goddess of the soul**

**Homer – an old rat David befriended in the Underworld**

**Aphrodite – (Venus in Latin) Goddess of love and beauty**

**Hermes – (Mercury in Latin) Messenger of the gods and escort of souls to the Underworld**

**Apollo – (Apollo in Latin) God of the sun, medicine, knowledge, music, and poetry**

**Demetria – Demeter (Ceres in Latin) Goddess of the harvest and seasons**

**Zeus – (Jupiter in Latin) King of the gods and god of the sky **


	7. Sowing Seeds

**To Newyorkbeats – Of _course_ David's going to have his own domain (that's what I'm calling what they're "god of" in this). I was very surprised to find that there's a fairly large domain that doesn't have a representative god (per se) so I gave it to Davey. It very much goes in line with how I picture him…either that or I'm just projecting myself on to him, again. **

xoxoxo

The summer was dying fast and furious. School was starting the next week and fall would start a few weeks later. Around that time David's mother and grandmother would close down the nursery, only opening on the weekends for seasonal plants: pumpkins and evergreens, mostly.

David hoisted one of the last remaining bags of fertilizer onto his shoulder, silently apologizing to the bugs that had been living under the bag and were now rendered homeless. As he turned around and headed back towards the front of the nursery he spotted an oddly out-of-place Kurt. Kurt had a rose blossom in his hand and stroked its petals thoughtfully before sniffing it. Smiling pleasantly, Kurt released the flower that sprang back into the bush it was attached to. David never understood the allure of roses. They smelled like decay to him, but if Kurt liked roses, that was good enough for him.

Shifting the bag so that it was better balanced on his shoulder, David straightened out his shirt, ruffled some of the dirt out of his hair and wiped as much of the sweat from his brow as he could. Kurt already thought of him as being sweaty; he didn't need any more evidence of it. David headed down the aisle towards Kurt, smiling and greeting him with a hardy "Hello."

Kurt returned his smile before examining him more closely and crinkling his nose. "Ew. You're all gross."

David dropped the bag of fertilizer in front of the rose bushes and looked himself over; his white t-shirt was stained permanently brown in places by dirt, plant food and what was doubtlessly fertilizer. His hands were dry, scratched and dirty; his cuticles were ripped and the nails broken in places. His jeans had a rip across the knee that had steadily spread throughout the summer and the leather on his boots had become so worn that the steel toes showed through in patches. "Yeah, well…we can't all be delicate and little and pretty smelling." David brushed some dirt off a rose that had fallen as he was dropping the bag of cow dung.

Kurt turned as pink as the rose, flattered that David thought so highly of him. The way David was eyeing the flower, though he quickly realized that _that_ was what David had been talking about. Kurt shuffled his foot nervously, digging the toe into the dirt. "So…I came to see if you could help me pick out a few good plants for my front yard."

David licked his lip then grimaced at the taste of dirt. He didn't mind being dirty, he quite enjoyed it, in fact; he just wasn't fond of the taste. "Well, it's kind of late in the season to think of any serious planting. I'd either recommend some perennials that'll come back next year or some nice container arrangements."

Kurt, spotting the disgusting state of David's hands, gave his own a once-over. Content that they were in their usual immaculate condition, he returned his attention to David. "Yes, well, I have no real intention of doing any digging, so something pre-planted in a nice pot sounds just fine. I'd just like to add some curb-appeal to our lovely domicile."

"Then I'd recommend something to frame the front stoop, assuming you have one, or some window boxes. Most of the best window box plants require a long growing season, like petunias, so I'd probably hold off on that till March or April. How about I show you some of our prearranged containers?" David gestured behind Kurt to an area near the front corner of the nursery. Kurt nodded his approval of the idea and followed alongside David.

"So, which of these would you recommend?"

David shrugged. "We won't have anything out this time of year that we know is only going to last another few weeks. This one is my favorite." David gestured to a large wooden planter filled with plump, healthy looking plants. "The cabbage looking one is ornamental kale. Its colors get more vibrant as autumn progresses. The tall ones are strawberry oxalis." David stroked some small pink flowers. They were fairly typical of what most people thought of when they pictured 'flowers:' five distinct, pink petals perched atop a long slender stalk. Kurt was certain he had some doodled into the margins of at least one of his notebooks. "And these cascades on the side are verbena." They were a beautiful shade of grape in a thick cluster that draped over the side of the planter. The pink of the oxalis and the purple of the verbena were both echoed by the pinks and purples of the lettuce-like kale. "They should all survive after the first frost."

Kurt took a few steps back and admired the pot. The head of kale was front and center, the oxalis took up the back half of the planter, and arrays of verbena were on each side of the kale. It had a lovely sense of balance to it. "Does it have a matching friend? If I'm going to put it next to my front steps, I'd like to have a nice symmetry to it."

David looked over the large selection of different sized and shaped pots, barrels, and boxes of flower arrangements. "I don't see one, but this is pretty easy to do. If you want, I can make up a match for it and deliver them to your house."

"You do delivery?" Kurt had his hands clasped in the small of his back, leaning up towards David. If he were a girl his breasts would be pointing at David.

"Well, not usually. But, I'm mean…we're friends, so why not? You're poodle won't get angry at me for going by your house, will he?"

Kurt cocked his head to the side, "Poodle?"

"Yeah…you know, _Blaine_."

Kurt smiled. Blaine did look kind of like one of those large, black poodles, especially when his hair wasn't slicked back. "He is _not_ a poodle. And why should it matter what he thinks?"

"Well...he's your boyfriend and everything. I wasn't sure if he's the type of guy to try and mark his territory any time another guy comes around."

"How about we go pay for these and you give me an estimate for about when you'll drop them off?"

David shrugged. "Sounds good to me." David's eyes were immediately drawn to Kurt's rear end as Kurt walked away.

David followed behind Kurt towards the front registers where an older, very dignified woman was pruning back some box hedges. She had David's sturdy build and a very earthy air about her. Yet at the same time she had a delicate grace about her; much like David's mother. She must be David's grandmother, Kurt decided. David handled ringing Kurt out and handed him a business card with his cell phone and the delivery time on it. Kurt paid, thanked him and turned away, ready to head back to his vehicle. He paused before getting to the door and looked back over his shoulder at David. "David?" He waited until David looked up from the bag of fertilizer he had gone back to. "Blaine's not my boyfriend." Even from several dozen feet away, Kurt could see David's eyebrow shoot up in surprise. "I don't have _any_one marking this territory." Kurt gestured to himself.

David found it rather interesting to work the rest of his shift at half-mast.

xoxoxo

**I'm trying to introduce characters slowly (especially those with double names) so that it doesn't get confusing. The OC cast won't be too large, but I will affix a cheat sheet to the bottom of each chapter to help you. Most of them will only appear once or twice. The major players have basically all been introduced.**

**Those we've met so far:**

**David – son of Hades and Persephone**

**Paul – Hades (Pluto in Latin), god of the underworld and wealth (the Greeks believed that since precious jewels and metals came from underground that the were part of Hades realm)**

**Sophie – Persephone/Kore (Proserpina in Latin), goddess of spring and queen of the underworld**

**Aaron – Eros (Cupid in Latin), god of love**

**Sarah – Psyche (Psyche in Latin), goddess of the soul**

**Homer – an old rat David befriended in the Underworld**

**Aphrodite – (Venus in Latin) Goddess of love and beauty**

**Hermes – (Mercury in Latin) Messenger of the gods and escort of souls to the Underworld**

**Apollo – (Apollo in Latin) God of the sun, medicine, knowledge, music, and poetry**

**Demetria – Demeter (Ceres in Latin) Goddess of the harvest and seasons**

**Zeus – (Jupiter in Latin) King of the gods and god of the sky **


	8. What Dreams May Come

"So…how do I visit him exactly?"

Homer thought about that for a few moments. He knew the locations of most of the gods' worldly abodes. One of the many benefits of being an active listener was that he learned many things, both important and minute. "If I recall correctly, he works at CFSR at the University of South Australia. Seeing him in person might be rather difficult without talking to your parents – which we both know you won't do. So I suggest you go about it the old-fashioned way: _pray_ to him."

David sat on the edge of his bed, deleting old DVR recordings from his television to clear his mind. "From what I understand, prayer doesn't work all that well."

Homer crawled up onto David's lap and curled up into a ball under a fold of David's sleep shirt. "Perhaps not for mortals. Mortals whine so much: 'dear god, please let me do well in the meeting,' 'dear god, please let the Broncos win,' 'dear god, please let me get an IPad for Christmas even though dad just got laid off and we're living off food stamps'. Gods will usually answer their own kind though."

"You don't like most humans much, do you?" David ran his index finger over Homer's head and to the crook of his neck where he gave him scritches for a few minutes. Under his finger, he could feel the furry rodent shake his head back and forth.

"Do you?" Homer didn't even wait for David's response. They both knew what it was. "I would suggest praying to him before you go to sleep tonight. You don't have to kneel or prostrate yourself or anything. Just ask it and mean it."

David lay back in bed, careful not to shift Homer too much. It didn't matter though, Homer scuttled up David's torso the moment David had gotten comfortable and curled up on a pillow just under David's chin. David closed his eyes, said his prayers and let sleep slowly wash over him.

xoxoxo

When David woke, his room seemed hazy: not like his eyes were full of crud or hadn't adjusted to the light, but as though a dense fog had settled over everything. An older man stood at the foot of his bed, dressed like a doctor. "You called?"

David sat up in bed, instinctively looking around for Homer so that he didn't accidentally crush him…_again_ (when he was little, he had accidentally rolled over and smothered his friend in his sleep…there were definite benefits to being the son of the god of the Underworld. David wouldn't have known what to do with himself if he had permanently killed his little buddy). "Are you Morpheus?"

The man bowed with a bit of a flourish, sweeping his arm across his waist as he bent. "At your service. It isn't often these days that my kin summon me."

David wasn't sure what he had been expecting, but the six-foot Asian man in a lab coat in front of him wasn't it. "I have a small favor to ask."

Morpheus pulled out David's rolling chair from his desk and made himself comfortable. Crossing his legs at the ankles, he tented his fingers together in his lap. "There are very few favors someone could ask of the god of sleep, and they are generally _all_ "small" favors. Occasionally I have been known to kill, but of all the gods I'd say I probably have one of the smallest 'kill' totals."

"Um…It's nothing really like that. Nothing _bad_, I promise you."

Morpheus held his hand up to silence David. "I am the god of dreams…but also the brother of _nightmares_. Believe me, I'm the _last_ to judge what is and is not 'bad.'"

"There's someone I'm interested in, but we have a rather… _nasty_ history together. I'm not sure if they'd ever give me the time of day." Morpheus quirked an eyebrow at David, listening intently with an amused smirk. "So I'm hoping you can give me the power to dream walk so I can, you know… _help_ them get to like me. Without freaking them out."

Morpheus continued staring at David only breaking the silence after several awkward minutes. "You're a god, with your own domain and powers. Couldn't you think of your _own_ way to woo him?" David's eyes went wide as Morpheus said "_him"_. Far too many people knew his secret for him to feel comfortable. At David's look of panic, Morpheus cleared away David's confusion. "Of _course_ I know you're gay. I've seen your dreams, David. As well as his."

David forced himself to calm down. He had to make a list of gods sometime and figure out whose powers would allow them to know David's sexuality. "I don't think my powers would impress him much. They might even repel him a little."

"If that's the case, are you sure he's a good match for you?"

David had considered that, already. "If the goddess of spring can love the god of the Underworld…a world without the sun…then Kurt can learn to love me."

Morpheus shrugged. "So be it. I'll allow you the ability to dream walk. Just remember, if you run into Icelus, my brother, he won't care much that you are a god or that you have permission to be in others' dreams. He'll care only that you're encroaching on his territory."

"I understand." With that, Morpheus was gone. David's head began to feel heavy; the dark, murky colors of his room began shifting and blending in slow, lazy unpredictable patterns. His vision began growing dark, starting in the periphery and moving inwards until David was consumed in darkness and drifted back into a dreamless sleep.

xoxoxo

**I'm trying to introduce characters slowly (especially those with double names) so that it doesn't get confusing. The OC cast won't be too large, but I will affix a cheat sheet to the bottom of each chapter to help you. Most of them will only appear once or twice. The major players have basically all been introduced.**

**Those we've met so far:**

**David – son of Hades and Persephone**

**Paul – Hades (Pluto in Latin), god of the underworld and wealth (the Greeks believed that since precious jewels and metals came from underground that the were part of Hades realm)**

**Sophie – Persephone/Kore (Proserpina in Latin), goddess of spring and queen of the underworld**

**Aaron – Eros (Cupid in Latin), god of love**

**Sarah – Psyche (Psyche in Latin), goddess of the soul**

**Homer – an old rat David befriended in the Underworld**

**Aphrodite – (Venus in Latin) Goddess of love and beauty**

**Hermes – (Mercury in Latin) Messenger of the gods and escort of souls to the Underworld**

**Apollo – (Apollo in Latin) God of the sun, medicine, knowledge, music, and poetry**

**Demetria – Demeter (Ceres in Latin) Goddess of the harvest and seasons**

**Zeus – (Jupiter in Latin) King of the gods and god of the sky **

**Morpheus – (Morpheus in Latin) god of dreams**

**Icelus – (couldn't find an accurate Latin variation) – god of nightmares**


	9. In the Dark of the Night

**The dream David describes was one I had the night before last…I still don't get it.**

xoxoxo

Kurt sat on the edge of a sandbox that had existed in his backyard when he was in elementary school. He wasn't bothered by the fact that it was currently located in the front yard of his new house or that his father had demolished it when he was in fourth grade. He also wasn't bothered by the fact that he was wearing a Burberry Porsum jacket that was not only worth more than he'd seen in his entire life but was _so_ last season. Nope. He was unconcerned with all of that and interested only in the poulet au citron that he was currently making out of the chicken bouillon in the sandbox, that and the fact that Clark Gable hadn't shown up with his pineapple salsa yet.

He smiled up at David as the jock sat next to him on the wooden rail of the sandbox. "Hello, David."

"Hey, Kurt." David looked over the orangey chicken Kurt was holding, amazed at how absurd some dreams could be…although he couldn't really fault Kurt. He himself had dreamed only a few days ago that he was liberating American POWs from a German camp located outside of what suspiciously looked like a Wal-Mart, but couldn't because his helicopter pilot never showed up and Hitler refused to show him how to fly it because he couldn't get his television to work. "What are you doing?"

"I am making some breakfast. Would you like some tilapia? You really need less blue in your diet." Kurt reached into the sand, which parted as easily as water, and pulled out a live, wriggling fish (that David knew for a fact was _not_ a tilapia or any known species of fish for that matter).

"Yeah…my doctor says I eat too much blue, but it tastes a lot better than yellow, wouldn't you say?" He was having too much fun with this. He had practiced dream walking the night before on Homer only to discover that his friend dreamed of Emma Watson in very _bad_ ways. David doubted he'd ever be able to look at Hermione or Scabbers the same way, again.

As Kurt's attention waned, the scene around them started to change. It had never been really clear or focused to begin with; the sandbox kept changing size and shape, everything in the background was comprised basically of blotchy colors like a Monet painting, even where he was sitting in relation to Kurt kept changing. It was starting to make him slightly dizzy. David stood up and reached his hand down to Kurt. "Come on, how about we go someplace special?"

Kurt stood up, taking David's hand and cocking his head in a dreamy fashion. "So long as Kermit isn't there. I don't like Kermit." David wasn't even sure how to respond to that. Instead, he forced the scenery around them to dissolve and replaced it with a scene he had seen many times in his daydreams.

It looked like the inside of a large gothic cathedral; like the one he had visited in Amiens when he was little. Unlike most cathedrals, it was very bright, with the stones and buttresses being a clean alabaster in color. Where the pulpit should have been was a bedroom; mildly blasphemous, he was well aware, but as far as he knew, the Fates were the highest power there was. "This is my palace. I've been designing it for about six years now. I'll start construction on it as soon as I know where I want it to go. For now though, you can live here, with me."

Kurt looked around; some awareness seemed to be coming to him as David took control of the dream. Kurt's mind was no longer occupied with creating an imaginary setting and instead could devote more resources to reacting to what was going on around him. "I don't like this. This is a church."

David looked around, dismayed. He had expected Kurt to be impressed. Kurt liked fancy things and it didn't get much fancier than medieval gothic architecture. "Well…it's _modeled_ after a church. It isn't _really_ one. This is my palace."

Kurt looked at the bed: a king-sized bed with scarlet red sheets and flower petals strewn across it. There were few things a bed like that could mean. _Very_ few things.

Kurt shook his head. Things didn't seem right to him; there was a kitchen recessed into an alcove; no windows or lights, yet it was still bright and cheery; the entire ceiling looked like a giant Imax screen showing some nature documentary; and, most disconcerting of all, there didn't seem to be any exit. "I don't like it here. Please, take me home."

David's eye twitched; he wasn't sure how to take this. People were supposed to be so much more amenable in dreams.

He'd just have to try harder. "This _is_ your home, Kurt. I can fix it to make it however you want." David took a step towards Kurt, who again shook his head violently, like a little child throwing a tantrum.

Kurt began backing up, matching David step for step. Even everything about David seemed off. He was taller than he should have been. The lines in his face, his bone structure, seemed sharper, more defined. He had definitely lost some weight. The beauty marks were missing from his face. Even his eyes were the wrong color: a deep brown instead of their golden hazel. He looked dark somehow: not in the physical sense, but the emotional sense. If he believed in such things, he would have said David's aura seemed dark. "No. Take me away from here. Take me away from this…this…"Kurt paused. He tensed for a moment and then seemed to relax, no longer frightened.

In barely a whisper, David heard him say, "This is a dream."

And then, much louder, Kurt yelled "WAKE UP!"

xoxoxo

David shot bolt upright in bed, startled by the violence of Kurt's outburst. Nothing had gone as he had planned. If anything, Kurt was probably even more terrified of him, now. He sighed and looked over at his alarm clock just in time to see it change to the hour and start buzzing. _First day of school_.

xoxoxo

Kurt had woken himself as well. It was a bit earlier than he normally woke up, but something about the dream had just set him on edge so that he couldn't think about going back to sleep. What had that dream been about? Was it his subconscious telling him that he really didn't trust David and still didn't forgive him for the events of last year? That didn't seem likely. Or maybe it was his subconscious telling him that he really wanted David to take charge of the situation and _make_ him his. That also didn't seem likely. He had absolutely no frame of reference for something like this. _Yes_, he had dreamt of David before. But those had been such soft, _sweet_ dreams: the two of them sitting together in a field holding hands, David stroking his cheek as he peppered him with gentle kisses while telling him how much he loved him, David walking him to and from classes. None of his dreams about David had ever _scared_ him before, not even when David _was_ scary.

He'd just have to forget about the dream.

xoxoxo

It was easier said than done. As Kurt placed his belongings into his new locker, he spotted David heading down the hall, wearing his shiny BullyWhips jacket as usual. He didn't stop to say "hi" to anyone and no one seemed interested in saying "hi" to him. He headed right to Kurt. "Hey, did you get your schedule yet?"

Kurt gulped, still feeling nervous about David after that weird night he had. "Um, yeah. Here." Kurt handed it to David and held his messenger bag close: a security blanket of sorts.

David looked over the schedule and smiled. His smile seemed sad, somehow. "Cool. Most of your classes are pretty close to mine. I won't have any issues watching your back this year."

Kurt smiled as enthusiastically as he could; he didn't like seeing David sad. "My back appreciates it. So…no _beret_ this year?"

David ran his hand self-consciously through his hair. "Yeah…I read somewhere that wearing a hat a lot could make you go bald. Something about it cutting off the blood flow or air supply to the roots or something."

"I should tell my dad that…Oops! Too late." Kurt's smile became softer and more genuine. It was easy for him to be around David. He'd just have to force that stupid dream out of his head and focus on the real David.

xoxoxo

**I'm trying to introduce characters slowly (especially those with double names) so that it doesn't get confusing. The OC cast won't be too large, but I will affix a cheat sheet to the bottom of each chapter to help you. Most of them will only appear once or twice. The major players have basically all been introduced.**

**Those we've met so far:**

**David – son of Hades and Persephone**

**Paul – Hades (Pluto in Latin), god of the underworld and wealth (the Greeks believed that since precious jewels and metals came from underground that the were part of Hades realm)**

**Sophie – Persephone/Kore (Proserpina in Latin), goddess of spring and queen of the underworld**

**Aaron – Eros (Cupid in Latin), god of love**

**Sarah – Psyche (Psyche in Latin), goddess of the soul**

**Homer – an old rat David befriended in the Underworld**

**Aphrodite – (Venus in Latin) Goddess of love and beauty**

**Hermes – (Mercury in Latin) Messenger of the gods and escort of souls to the Underworld**

**Apollo – (Apollo in Latin) God of the sun, medicine, knowledge, music, and poetry**

**Demetria – Demeter (Ceres in Latin) Goddess of the harvest and seasons**

**Zeus – (Jupiter in Latin) King of the gods and god of the sky **

**Hera – (Juno in Latin) Queen of the gods and goddess of Marriage, women and birth**

**Morpheus – (Morpheus in Latin) god of dreams**

**Icelus – (couldn't find an accurate Latin variation) – god of nightmares**


	10. Perspective

Dreams were an incredible testament to the ingenuity of the human mind…or _any_ mind for that matter. The mind had the capability, within a few hours of sleep, to create an entire universe, and quite frequently, a cast of characters. The only fault of the mind, in David's opinion, was the restriction on perception within dreams. True, the mind could create a universe as detailed and diverse as the one we live in, but it was completely subject to presence. It was basically the answer to the old philosophical "tree falling in the woods" question. In the dream world, the answer was quite firmly "no," because as soon as the dreamer failed to perceive it, it ceased to exist.

That made it a lot easier for David to find people in their dreams; simply go where perception existed. From his own perspective, anything outside the dreamer's immediate vicinity became a milky blur of incomprehensible void.

He was in Homer's dream world again. _This_ dream of Homer's was one all too familiar to David: the need to run, to jump, to run, to climb, to run, to fly. It was like the mind was trying to expunge months of pent up energy. He wondered briefly if it was a dream like this that had given birth to the sport of parkour. When he finally caught up to Homer, running up a seemingly never-ending flight of stairs, he scooped him up. "Come on, you said you'd help me figure out what set Kurt off."

As the world around them dissolved into David's palace, exactly as it had been while Kurt had been there a few nights prior, Homer slowly calmed and stopped trying to scrabble out of David's palm. When the rat seemed in full possession of his faculties, David gestured to the dream world of his own creation around them. "Well?"

Homer studied the edifices, alcoves, and frescoes littered throughout the grand space. "Oh, my…I'm not sure I like this…not at all."

David collapsed into a cross-legged sitting position on the floor, his elbows on his knees, his chin balanced in his fists. "It's really that bad? I modeled it after the cathedral of Amiens. I thought it looked pretty nice."

Homer shook his head without looking at David, instead opting to explore a bit. "It has nothing to do with you…or your work for that matter. This is just…very _strange_."

"But why? What the hell is wrong with everything?"

Homer closed his eyes, took stock of his surroundings and tried to figure out exactly what was so unnervingly surreal that made him feel on edge. "I spoke with Agamemnon once about his experiences within the dream world. Well, actually we spoke _many_ times, but only a few times about dreams. He told me that, to the casual observer, a dream is a constructed fantasy; but, to the _dreamer,_ it was a separate, yet entirely _real_ dimension…plane of existence if you will. A dream belongs to the dreamer, therefore, even a nightmare is _exactly_ as it should be." Homer looked up and watched the ceiling play scenes out of what he surmised to be Yellowstone National Park: one of David's favorite retreats. "I do not belong to this dream, nor this dream to me. And my soul _knows_ it does not belong. This is made all the more disconcerting by the fact that something in my gut tells me nothing exists in this world outside of what you have constructed here."

David let his arms fall limp so that they lay in his lap. "Well, yeah. Some day I'm going to build it for real and it will exist someplace in the mortal world, so there was no need to create anything _outside_ it since I don't know where I'm putting it yet."

Homer rubbed his paw over his whiskers and twitched them back and forth. "That doesn't really matter, though. Not here, not right now. There are other things as well, things that should be forgiven in a dream, even expected. After all, dreams rarely make any sort of sense. But I feel more _consciousness_ in this world, as though I were completely awake, so I can actually register the things that shouldn't belong."

"Like the giant cinema on the ceiling?"

"No, believe it or not that is the _least_ of the unusualness. Imagine for a second you were to suddenly go blind. How would you feel?"

"I'd probably freak out."

Homer nodded. "Exactly. You probably assume you wouldn't notice if you suddenly couldn't smell, or had no taste in your mouth, or couldn't feel anything. But the fact of the matter is, it's like breathing. You barely notice it until it isn't there anymore. And I don't have any of those senses right now. You've created the sights and sounds of your palace, but there is no texture to anything, no smells, no tastes. It's like going blind."

David sniffed the air experimentally. He hadn't even noticed. "How is it you're picking all this up - and Kurt - but I didn't?"

Homer scurried across the floor and up into David's lap. The strangeness of this place was getting to him and he wanted the comfort of his friend and master. "Same reason I check your English homework, David. When you've created something, you only 'see' what your mind expects. Sometimes it takes a fresh perspective: someone who enters into the affair with no prior expectations."

"So how do I stop scaring Kurt every time I try to visit him in his sleep?"

"The only thing I could suggest is that you stop trying to be the host, and instead be the guest. Kurt's dreams will always look exactly as his mind expects, so there shouldn't be anything to freak him out."

"But people are such…_ditzes_ in their own dreams. You and Kurt more or less acted like Forrest Gump until I brought you into my dream."

"Maybe…" Homer paused to think for a moment. "Perhaps rather than forcing him _out_ of his dream and into yours, you could maintain his dream for him so that his subconscious mind doesn't have to focus all its energy on it…maybe?"

David sighed; his dream of having Kurt live in his palace with him every night would have to be put on hold.

xoxoxo

**Those we've met so far:**

**David – son of Hades and Persephone**

**Paul – Hades (Pluto in Latin), god of the underworld and wealth (the Greeks believed that since precious jewels and metals came from underground that the were part of Hades realm)**

**Sophie – Persephone/Kore (Proserpina in Latin), goddess of spring and queen of the underworld**

**Aaron – Eros (Cupid in Latin), god of love**

**Sarah – Psyche (Psyche in Latin), goddess of the soul**

**Homer – an old rat David befriended in the Underworld**

**Aphrodite – (Venus in Latin) Goddess of love and beauty**

**Hermes – (Mercury in Latin) Messenger of the gods and escort of souls to the Underworld**

**Apollo – (Apollo in Latin) God of the sun, medicine, knowledge, music, and poetry**

**Demetria – Demeter (Ceres in Latin) Goddess of the harvest and seasons**

**Zeus – (Jupiter in Latin) King of the gods and god of the sky **

**Hera – (Juno in Latin) Queen of the gods and goddess of Marriage, women and birth**

**Morpheus – (Morpheus in Latin) god of dreams**

**Icelus – (couldn't find an accurate Latin variation) – god of nightmares**


	11. Return to Dalton

When David entered into Kurt's dream the next night he found himself sitting in desk-chair combination. He shifted around in the seat for a moment, trying to figure out where he was. It didn't _look_ like a classroom, at least not any that he was familiar with, that's for sure. The walls were a dark wood paneling, the windows were grand and clean and the teacher's desk looked like something you'd find in a colonial parlor. There was even a large, fancy painting of what David was certain was a man (although the details were too blurred for David to identify him) hanging on the wall. Kurt was sitting in the desk next to him, furiously scribbling notes. David leaned over, but, predictably, the words looked like illegible scribbles. "Watch ya up to, Kurt?"

Kurt didn't bother looking up. "I have to study for my test tomorrow or I won't pass."

Dave smiled; even while asleep Kurt had to be a perfect student. "Don't you remember, Kurt? Everyone who has an average over 90 doesn't have to take the test. You have a perfect grade in this class so far; you're exempt."

Kurt paused in his writing and looked around. "Damn. I wasted all this time studying for nothing."

"Well, on the bright side, you're free to do whatever you want, now." David began taking control of Kurt's dream, trying his best to keep the setting exactly as Kurt was envisioning it. It was difficult at first, trying to figure out each individual detail, but it got easier after a few minutes of concentration. It was kind of like playing with Legos; lots of simple, little things that came together to create something incredible. Thankfully, also like Legos, once he figured out how everything went to together, the pieces _stayed_ together and he didn't have to _keep_ focusing on them. The process took so long that, by the time he had finished, Kurt already seemed to be fully conscious of everything around him.

"What are you doing here?"Kurt appeared nervous, but didn't have the same look of terror he had in his eyes last time.

"I'm just hanging out with you. Where is _here_?"

Kurt looked around, like he wasn't entirely certain. He probably wasn't; in dreams, you just accepted things as they were. Now though, he could start critiquing the errors his mind had created. "We're at Dalton. I think this is my math class." He paused for a moment, a look of distaste on his lips. "I hate math."

David shrugged. "I love math. I get it from my dad."

"Are you going to make me go with you, again?" Kurt lifted one foot and moved it back, preparing to flee from David if necessary.

David held up a defensive hand, trying to placate Kurt. "Nope. I just want to hang out with you for a while. Get to know you."

Kurt swallowed, then nodded. "This is a dream, isn't it?" David nodded. "My dreams about you aren't normally like this." David smiled and leaned forward, hoping Kurt would tell him what his dreams were normally like. Instead Kurt gestured around him. "This is my math class…or _was_. There should be more decorations; I don't remember what they were though. _That_ charming gentleman," Kurt pointed to the blurry picture, starting a little when he saw how out of focus it was, "is the founder of Dalton: Randolph Desmond Dalton. His picture is in every classroom…like Stalin or Chairman Mao."

David smiled. "You didn't like it here, did you?"

Kurt considered that for a moment. "The curriculum was very rigorous, I'll give them that. But they didn't care about originality or creativity: just facts, figures and logic. That's probably why the Warblers were so popular; they were the students' only creative outlet."

"I'm glad you came back to McKinley."

Kurt smiled warmly at David. "I'm glad I did as well." Realizing David wasn't going to take him away again, he visibly relaxed. "Want me to show you around?"

Before he had a chance to really think about it, David practically jumped from his seat and joined Kurt by the classroom door. As soon as they stepped foot into the hall, however, he began to regret it. In order to keep Kurt's mind from drifting back into la-la land, he had to take over recreating the world as he and Kurt moved throughout it. It gradually got easier and easier for him the more he did it; ironically, the more he thought about it, the harder it was. By the time they had traveled up the staircase and to the Warblers' common room, David wasn't even thinking about it anymore, instead he let Kurt's voice waft over him as he pointed out paintings, notable classrooms and places of interest where memorable events had occured.

"And that's where Leoncavallo got out of his cage, perched atop the chandelier and refused to come down for two hours."

"I'm assuming Leon is some type of bird…or possibly sugar glider?"

Kurt narrowed an eye at David, unsure of what a sugar glider was. "Leoncavallo was a canary belonging to a sophomore Warbler named Preston. All Warblers, as part of their initiation received a canary to care for. Mine was named Pavarotti. He died."

As bad as David felt that Kurt had lost his bird, he felt rather annoyed at this knowledge. "That's cruel and…just _wrong_."

Kurt folded his arms across his chest and looked about nervously. "Well, it wasn't exactly _hazing_ or anything. They gave us everything the birds needed: the food, the cage."

"I don't care whether it's hazing or not; the Warblers could paddle their new initiatives as far as I'm concerned. _People_ always have the option of saying 'no.' It's wrong to force a helpless animal on someone who may or may not have any knowledge about how to care for it. And what about people who don't even _like_ animals? How many of those birds have been neglected, or mistreated or even tortured by immature kids who didn't have a clue what they were doing?"

Kurt had never considered that, yet still felt defensive. "I liked Pavarotti. I took good care of him."

David sat himself on the plush sofa off to the side of the room. "I'm sure you did. You're a good person, Kurt. But look at all the other assholes out there our age." Dave patted the seat beside him. "I must admit, though. I thought you'd be kind of prissy about animals."

Kurt joined David on the couch, but sat very stiffly on the edge. "And _what_ is that supposed to mean?"

"I dunno, I figured you'd think of them as dirty, or smelly, or whatever." Dave sat forward, trying to mirror Kurt's body language.

"I did…at first. But I really liked Pavarotti. He was beautiful and sang so prettily." Kurt cocked his head and looked at David sideway. "I never would have pictured _you_ as liking animals. I used to picture you as the type to…" Kurt's voice trailed off and he sat back on the couch, looking away from David, his hands folded over his knees.

"Type to what?" David leaned over so he was in front of Kurt, looking at him. "I know you never thought too highly of me before."

Kurt swallowed nervously, his eyes darting alternately between David and his hands. "I pictured you as the type to hurt small animals."

David's eyes narrowed. To Kurt, he looked dark again, but not scary: just intense. David sat back on the couch and looked forward. "Zoosadism. Trust me when I tell you there is a special place in hell for people that hurt innocent animals."

Kurt placed his hand over David's and felt the tension slowly leave him. "I don't think that about you anymore. You're a lot more gentle than you want people to think." Kurt nudged David playfully. "You're a big ole sensitive teddy bear."

David allowed himself a small smile. "Don't call me 'sensitive.' Makes me sound-"

"Gay?" Kurt cut him off and then started laughing at the blush that spread across David's whole face. "I like this. Just talking, 'hanging out,' being friends." Kurt bit his lip nervously, thinking about the last dream he had had of David. What was so different _this_ time: that made him feel _so_ different? "What was that place you took me to last time?"

David smiled, smugly. "I told you; it's my palace."

Kurt gave David a gentle shove. "Let me guess, you're Anastasia's grandson?"

"'fraid not. My family's a bit more prestigious than that." Kurt furrowed his brows, quirked a lip at him and just smiled patronizingly. "For your information, I'm a Greek god." Kurt barked out a laugh and a quick snort before he could clasp his hand over his mouth and hold it in. "I'm _serious_. All the gods have a hidden palace somewhere in the mortal realm. Zeus' is somewhere in Australia, Aphrodite's is in Paris, Ares is in New York…under West Point, as is my understanding. I still haven't decided where mine will be."

Kurt was still smiling, as though David were telling him an amusing story. Which, from Kurt's perspective it probably was. "So what are _you_ god of?"

David felt smug again. "Isn't it obvious? Animals."

"Animals?"

David deflated slightly, looking a bit bashful. "Well…not _all_ animals. Priapus protects livestock, but he's not god _of_ them. And Artemis is goddess of wilderness and the hunt. But she's more interested in killing animals than protecting them. I'm the god of domesticated animals and…_someothersnooneelsewanted_…"

Kurt narrowed his eyes, he had to remind himself this was just a dream and was allowed to make no sense and so he decided to play along. "Then what's with you and McDonalds?"

David stuck his tongue out, scraping it over his teeth like he had just eaten something terrible. "I would _never_. I only eat kosher and halaal meat."

Kurt didn't know what "halaal" meant, but assumed it was related to kosher somehow. "Then where do you go for lunch each day?"

"Home. Where else?"

Kurt leaned comfortably against David's side. "You surprise me more each minute. I like this you." David slung his arm around Kurt's shoulder and cuddled quietly with him for a few minutes. "It's too bad you're only a dream."

xoxoxo

Kurt smiled up at David when he met him at his locker the next morning. David was beaming; he looked so much happier today than he did on previous days. "Hello, Dave."

"Kurt." David nodded amicably and began walking alongside Kurt as he headed off to his first period class.

"You know…I've been wondering. You have those horses of yours. Are you an animal person, or do you just like horses?"

"I honestly believe that the worst animal is better than the best human."

Kurt looked David over, surreptitiously, from the corner of his eye. The more he learned about David, the hotter he looked.

xoxoxo

David held a magic torch as he explored throughout his mother's gardens in the Underworld. It was a section of the Underworld the ancient Greeks really hadn't known anything about. Her gardens were where animals went when they died, unless they had a human family that they wanted to be with. The torch wasn't for seeing; no matter the time of day, there was ample light to see by in the Underworld.

The torch grew brighter as he approached what he was looking for. The color of the torch was almost pure white as he stood beneath a date palm. Looking up, David saw a flock of small, yellow canaries. "Excuse me, do any of you go by the name Pavarotti, per chance?"

A small pearlescent yellow canary looked down at David and 'chirruped' happily.

xoxoxo

**Those we've met so far:**

**David – son of Hades and Persephone**

**Paul – Hades (Pluto in Latin), god of the underworld and wealth (the Greeks believed that since precious jewels and metals came from underground that the were part of Hades realm)**

**Sophie – Persephone/Kore (Proserpina in Latin), goddess of spring and queen of the underworld**

**Aaron – Eros (Cupid in Latin), god of love**

**Sarah – Psyche (Psyche in Latin), goddess of the soul**

**Homer – an old rat David befriended in the Underworld**

**Aphrodite – (Venus in Latin) Goddess of love and beauty**

**Hermes – (Mercury in Latin) Messenger of the gods and escort of souls to the Underworld**

**Apollo – (Apollo in Latin) God of the sun, medicine, knowledge, music, and poetry**

**Demetria – Demeter (Ceres in Latin) Goddess of the harvest and seasons**

**Zeus – (Jupiter in Latin) King of the gods and god of the sky **

**Hera – (Juno in Latin) Queen of the gods and goddess of Marriage, women and birth**

**Morpheus – (Morpheus in Latin) god of dreams**

**Icelus – (couldn't find an accurate Latin variation) – god of nightmares**

**Artemis – (Diana in Latin) goddess of the hunt, wilderness, the moon**

**Priapus – (Mutunus Tutunus in Latin) minor god of fertility, gardens and male genitalia (he's also the reason you should call your doctor if you have an erection lasting longer than 3 hours…lol)**


	12. Confessions

David set up Pavarotti in his new cage, stacked on top of Homer's. Neither of them would ever actually be confined to their cages, but it was nice of them to have a place of their own and to keep up appearances on the rare occasion mortal friends visited David's home. Homer had clambered up onto the top of his cage to investigate his new neighbor. "So I take it the new rule is 'if you can sneak it past Rhadamanthus, you can keep it?'"

David rubbed Pavarotti's breast while the bird lolled his head to the side, closed its eyes and started making sweet little squeaking noises. David, being able to talk to all animals, understood this to mean "Oh, yeah. Right there. Little to the left…just…like…_that_."

"What my dad doesn't know won't hurt him. At any given moment there are billions of animals and bugs dying. I don't think anyone will notice a little canary missing." Pavarotti suddenly grew bored of being stroked, hopped up onto David's finger and began crab walking up his arm until he was comfortably perched on David's shoulder. "Except Kurt. Kurt loves Pavarotti. He'll be so excited when he sees him again."

"Yeah. Umm…any thought as to how you plan on reintroducing the two? As far as Kurt knows, his dreams are just that, _dreams_. You can't exactly hand him Pavarotti and go 'Here's your zombie fowl. Enjoy.'" Homer was sitting on his haunches: head cocked and tail swishing behind him. It was roughly equivalent to a human with their hand on their hip and foot tapping.

"I'll just…hold on to Pavarotti for a while. At least until Kurt realizes that the dreams are real and he's okay with everything." Pavarotti craned his neck so that he could preen at the hair behind David's ear. David smiled and turned to look at him; Pavarotti released David's hair and pecked at the dry skin on David's lips instead. "Ew. That is so gross." Smiling, he pressed his finger underneath Pavarotti so that the bird had to step up onto it.

Pavarotti looked around the room and then leaned forward to get a better look at Homer. "He looks like Saltine."

Homer looked himself over, confused. "I look like what?"

David lowered Pavarotti down so that he could hop onto the cage beside Homer. "Saltine. It was a rat that lived at Dalton Academy. He ate the seeds that fell out of my cage. Wes saw him once. He shrieked like a little girl."

"Wes or the rat?"

"Both of them, actually. I don't understand why Wes was scared though; when humans see rats, rats die. Nothing really happens to the human, usually." Pavarotti pecked at Homer, grooming his fur and getting to know him. Homer, even though he was technically a "social" animal, had been on his own so long that he found Pavarotti's affections strange and entirely unwelcome. Homer didn't care for other animals in any way shape or form. Sidestepping away from Pavarotti, Homer retreated into the safety of his own cage, shooting David a nasty look that said something along the lines of 'Get rid of _that_.'

David smiled at Homer and shrugged helplessly.

xoxoxo

Kurt was at the Lima Public Library, searching through the stacks for a book on mythology. There had to be a reason he was dreaming of Greek gods. Well _one_ Greek god. He knew the absolute basics about Greek mythology, but had never actively studied it. He just knew the common knowledge type things that _everyone_ seemed to know; Ares was the god of war, Zeus was king, Hercules was super strong. But beyond that, he knew nothing. After thinking about this for some time, he decided that there was a horrible hole in his education.

Finding the book he had been searching for, he picked it up and flipped through the table of contents. It started with a list of the major gods, with each god getting their own chapter, then some minor gods, some demigods, some notable heroes and important locations. Kurt flipped through it as he headed to the main desk; there weren't any pictures, the paper was yellowing and the language was slightly archaic, but it was the only one that had appeared to have a plethora of information and wasn't dumbed-down for children. Considering the amount of nudity Kurt saw in ancient Greek-inspired artworks, he didn't think a book written for children would give him accurate information.

When Kurt was ready to go to bed that night, he had read through the twelve Olympian gods; he learned about their powers, what they were gods and goddesses of, who their most important relatives were (spouse, lovers, primary children and parents), and what their temperaments were like. He learned how Cronus had eaten all of his children except Zeus and that they had later gotten their revenge on him. He learned about how Zeus, Poseidon and Hades had drawn lots to decide who would rule the sky, the seas and the Underworld.

He was rather excited to go to sleep that night so he could dream of David again.

But his dreams were quiet.

xoxoxo

David sat at his kitchen table, while his parents confronted him about a certain animal he had been seen removing from the Underworld. "Why didn't you just ask?" His mother had her arms folded, her lips pursed, her eyes narrowed. More often than not she was the gentle, sweet, mild-mannered goddess of spring. But every now and then, as the dreaded Queen of the Underworld, she showed herself to be more frightening than her husband. "I don't get it, David. I thought we were done with the lying, the sneaking around, the rebellion."

"I wasn't…_sneaking_ around. I just didn't think it was that big of a deal. I mean, you gave me Homer, why not Pavarotti?" David leaned his elbows on the table, fiddling with a napkin as he looked at his father for a bit of backup.

"Exactly. We _gave_ you Homer." Paul gestured between himself and Sophie. "So of course you didn't have to ask. He was a gift. This bird on the other hand…Pavarotti?...You just took him. Once something is dead David, it's meant to _stay_ dead."

"It's just a _bird:_ one little, itty, bitty, teeny, weenie, itsy, bitsy bird. What damage could it possible cause?"

"_Precedence," _said Paul.

"You bring up a very good point, David." Paul and David both looked to Sophie, David biting back the desire to reply 'I do?' "Pavarotti is so insignificant. What purpose could bringing him back _possibly_ serve? You've never owned a canary. They aren't wild around here. You _never_ go to the pet store. So how did you happen upon _this_ canary? What makes him so special? What's his _purpose_?"

Paul nodded thoughtfully at his wife's reasoning.

David sat uneasily under his parents' accusing stares. When he realized they would inevitably beat him in any 'waiting game.' He sighed, sat back and confessed. "Pavarotti belonged to a friend of mine. My friend really loved him, so…I just wanted to do something nice for once."

Sophie's demeanor seemed to change; she instantly loosened her stance and a small light came to her eyes. "Is this someone a _girl?_" David continued fidgeting with the napkin, tearing off small pieces from the corners. Sophie approached David and kneeled down beside him. "Honey, I know how upset you were when Santana broke up with you. But you _are_ allowed to like someone new."

"It's not…a girl." David refused to look at his mother, instead focusing his attention on his dad. "He's for a friend. _Kurt._"

Paul sent David that same look he gave him almost a year ago when David had had the audacity to accuse Kurt of having a crush on him in the principal's office; his eyes narrowed, crinkling at the edges as he tried to puzzle out his son's behavior. For Sophie's benefit, Paul clarified, "Kurt was the one he got expelled over. Are you trying to make things right with him, David?"

It felt like there was something more to the question than what Paul had asked. It was as though the question was a mask for a different question: a _very_ different question. "I've been trying, but…I still feel so _guilty_ about everything. I feel like I don't deserve his forgiveness."

Paul stood up from the table, basically announcing the end of the discussion. It was a millennia-old move on his part; after seeing a plaintive in the Underworld arguing for the right to have their judgment changed, pleading for rebirth or begging to have their memories of their life erased, he would stand, pass judgment and leave the throne room so they couldn't argue his decision. "Your intentions may have been honorable, but you're still grounded. No television, no phone, no powers."

"Oh, come on-"

Paul held up his hand, silencing David. "You can keep the bird. Now follow me to my office." David trailed behind his father, his head hanging dejectedly.

David liked his dad's office. It was always warm, even when the fireplace wasn't lit. Everything was very simple and minimalist. His bookshelves were vertical wrought-iron rods connected by frosted glass shelves. His desk was a similar design. There was a clear glass liquor cabinet in one corner of the room holding wines and brandies older than most American states as well as ambrosia from Olympus.

On top of the cabinet stood something most gods feared second only to Tartarus: a small, black jar modeled after Pandora's infamous "box" (which was actually a jar, but had somehow turned into a "box" due to faulty translations). Zeus had commissioned its creation after a particularly nasty fight between the twins Artemis and Apollo. During the fight between the two, Artemis had torched and destroyed Apollo's sacred Library of Alexandria and blamed invading Muslims (despite the fact that they cherished knowledge and ended up preserving many ancient texts).

In order to adequately punish such grievous offences, Zeus had asked Hephaestus to make a jar capable of containing a god's powers, effectively "grounding" them. Hades, being the most level headed, peaceable and judicious of the gods (aside from Hestia, but she was a push-over) had been given custody of the box. So far, over the course of history, only Artemis, two minor gods responsible for the Black Plague and the Great Influenza Outbreak, and David had been forced to surrender their powers to the jar. It _really_ sucked.

David felt physically ill as his father opened the jar and his powers began leeching from his body. Once his powers were gone, he no longer felt as nauseated, but he did feel extremely weak. If he had ever been ill in his life, he would have likened the feeling to recovering from the flu.

Re-shelving the jar, Paul sat down at his desk, facing David. "So. How about we talk about this? What's going on with you and Kurt?"

His weakness, coupled with his exhaustion at having to lie to his father, broke David's resolve. "Eros said it was my best chance at being happy. I can't help it."

"Help what? David?"

"Dad…I'm _gay_."

Paul looked disappointed. He huffed out a depressed breath. "Eros? He did this?"

David nodded even though his father wasn't looking at him. "Yeah. I like Kurt. I…don't mind being gay." As David said the words, he realized it was more or less true. He no longer cared too much about the idea that he was gay. Now he was just concerned about how his parents would react. His acceptance of himself now hinged on his mother and father's acceptance of his sexuality.

"Eros did this?" David nodded. "Not Aphrodite?"

"No, dad. Eros said he made me gay because I'm a lot more likely to find love with a guy than I am with a girl."

"And you like Kurt?" David nodded, again. Also nodding, Paul stood up and wrapped his arms around David. "So long as you're happy. If you're not, I can always talk to Aaron."

David shook his head. "No, I'm fine."

"Okay. This is…going to take some getting used to David. Do you…do you want _me_ to tell your mother, or?"

David thought about that for a minute. He was extremely close to his mother; he couldn't bare it if his mother rejected him. But on the other hand, he owed it to her to tell her himself. "I'll tell her. Just, give me time."

xoxoxo

**Those we've met so far:**

**David – son of Hades and Persephone**

**Paul – Hades (Pluto in Latin), god of the underworld and wealth (the Greeks believed that since precious jewels and metals came from underground that the were part of Hades realm)**

**Sophie – Persephone/Kore (Proserpina in Latin), goddess of spring and queen of the underworld**

**Aaron – Eros (Cupid in Latin), god of love**

**Sarah – Psyche (Psyche in Latin), goddess of the soul**

**Homer – an old rat David befriended in the Underworld**

**Aphrodite – (Venus in Latin) Goddess of love and beauty**

**Hermes – (Mercury in Latin) Messenger of the gods and escort of souls to the Underworld**

**Apollo – (Apollo in Latin) God of the sun, medicine, knowledge, music, and poetry**

**Demetria – Demeter (Ceres in Latin) Goddess of the harvest and seasons**

**Zeus – (Jupiter in Latin) King of the gods and god of the sky **

**Hera – (Juno in Latin) Queen of the gods and goddess of Marriage, women and birth**

**Morpheus – (Morpheus in Latin) god of dreams**

**Icelus – (couldn't find an accurate Latin variation) – god of nightmares**

**Artemis – (Diana in Latin) goddess of the hunt, wilderness, the moon**

**Priapus – (Mutunus Tutunus in Latin) minor god of fertility, gardens and male genitalia (he's also the reason you should call your doctor if you have an erection lasting longer than 3 hours…lol)**


	13. Straight Jacket

Kurt pulled the books for his next two classes out of his locker, placing the mythology book on top. He had just finished reading about the Twelve Labors of Hercules and was very disappointed to find out that Disney had lied to him…about quite a bit, actually. Apparently Hercules' "doting" mother was actually a vindictive, hateful stepmother intent on making his life hell. And worst of all, there wasn't even a _passing_ mention of Megara. He'd have to do some research on that later.

Shutting his locker and turning towards where the door had just been, he saw David standing there and nearly threw his books in fright. "Holy _crap_. Way to sneak up on me, Hamhock."

David smiled, "You haven't called me that in a while."

Kurt shifted the books in his arms, trying to reclaim his grip on them. "Yes, well…I haven't had _reason_ to in a while."

David leaned against the locker next to Kurt's, one of his eyebrows arched into a perfect upside-down "V." "So, are you mad at me or something, Hummel?"

_Yes, why weren't you in my dreams last night?_ "No, of course not. You just startled me. You haven't snuck up on me like that in a while…not since you were 'bad Dave.'"

David snorted in response. "Bad Dave?" Kurt nodded and was about to say something when David continued on, "I can be a _very_ bad Dave..." David leaned in close, whispering into Kurt's ear, "If that's what you _like_."

Kurt turned red. He was tempted to smack David half-heartedly, but laughed instead. David was in such a happy, playful mood; he didn't have the heart to mess it up. "Usually you're kind of quiet around me. _Bashful_ almost. What's put you in such a giddy mood?"

David blushed and shrugged as he turned around and the two started off towards Kurt's first period French class. "I just…had a good night last night." _Aside from getting grounded, losing my powers and not being able to talk to or understand Homer or Pavarotti_.

"What happened?"

David did a quick survey of the thinning population in the halls, chewed his lip, and then faced Kurt. "My dad and I had a frank discussion last night. One thing led to another and…" David stopped walking and smiled up at the ceiling. "I told him I'm…you _know_."

Kurt grabbed David's bicep, and forced him to turn. "You _what?_" Kurt's eyes were large and bright, his lips slightly parted, as though he wanted to say something further but couldn't think of what.

David smiled even broader, dimples forming just behind the corners of his lips. "It wasn't that big of a deal. I was _shocked_ really. I mean, my dad was disappointed but, he _accepts_ me."

Kurt rubbed David's arm reassuringly. "The first is always the hardest. It gets gradually easier each time after that. I'm fairly certain _I_ was the first person you 'informed', then yourself, now your dad. Pretty soon, you'll be able to scream it from the rooftops."

David snorted again, this time mockingly. "That'll be the day. I still have to get up the courage to tell my mom…and _nana_. _That'll_ be a hoot and a half." David looked down at his feet before looking back up at Kurt and smiling reassuringly. Noticing the book on top of Kurt's stack, David decided to comment, "Are you taking a mythology elective this semester?"

Kurt looked down at the book, almost surprised to see it there. "What? No. I'm just…_interested_ all of a sudden." Kurt looked David over, thinking back to sitting in the Warbler's lounge with David, David's arm draped across his shoulders as they talked and laughed and just _basked_ in each other's company. How he wished they could _really_ have that kind of day together.

"Learning anything good so far?"

Kurt picked the book up, examining it disappointedly. "Yes…Disney _lies_." Kurt continued on by explaining what he had learned about Hercules and Hera and the lack of Megara

David smiled. "No kidding. Well, Megara came around _after_ the twelve labors, but you know his name isn't even 'Hercules' right?" Kurt's eyes went wide. "'Hercules' was his Roman name. _'Heracles'_ was his Greek name."

Putting the book back on top of the other two, and feigning his best bitchy pose, Kurt tapped his toe irritably. "If you can't trust _Disney_ just who _can_ you trust?"

Leaning on the classroom door, David shook his head. "It's just a crying shame, ain't it? I'll catch you after class, all right?" Kurt smiled longingly as David walked away, not realizing until after he had gone how much of a coincidence it was for real world Dave to know about Greek mythology.

xoxoxo

"If I tell you a secret, do you promise not to tell anyone?" Blaine narrowed his eyes at Kurt's question before putting his coffee cup down. "Or have me committed?"

Despite no longer dating, Kurt and Blaine still had a weekly "date" at the Lima Bean. "I promise Kurt, there are _no_ straight jackets in your future." Blaine raised his coffee back up to his lips, but halted before continuing. "I doubt even _you_ could pull that look of."

"I've been dreaming about David." Kurt forced the words out of his mouth in a muffled rush: much like ripping off a Band-Aid.

A light seemed to come to Blaine's face. "Ahhh…that's so _cute_. I used to dream of Jeremiah. We'd just hang out at the mall, trying on clothes. I'd serenade him; he'd get me killer discounts. It was beautiful."

"It's not _like_ that Blaine. They're so _real_, so detailed, so _vivid._ It's like…I can't even describe it."

Blaine sighed, shaking his head. "Say no more, Kurt. I've had _'those'_ dreams as well. That's why my mom's no longer allowed to clean my sheets anymore."

Kurt blanched. "NO!" Not…_dirty_ dreams." Kurt considered the dreams for a moment. "I think the first one was _almost_ dirty. But I got scared and woke up." Blaine looked mildly confused, so Kurt elaborated, "He had a _huge_-" Blaine cut Kurt off with a deep, throaty chuckle. "Stop being so perverted. He had a huge _bed_ covered in flower petals. It was beautiful and romantic, but _way_ too soon."

Blaine nodded, a forced look of understanding on his face. "Oh yeah, premarital dream-sex is a violation of all things sacred. You gotta watch out for those dream-STDs." Kurt reached across the table and swatted at Blaine's arm, accidentally causing him to slosh his coffee over his hand. Shaking his hand to get the stray droplets off, Blaine chuckled. "So what's so unusual and special about these dreams?"

Helping Blaine mop up the puddle of coffee from in front him, Kurt drew in a deep breath. "It's stupid really. Aside from feeling _real_, in each of the dreams, he said he's a Greek god."

A splash of coffee shot across the table, but this time it was Blaine's fault as he snorted derisively. "So what's Spartacus god of?" Kurt raised his coffee in front of his mouth to hide his expanding blush. "I'm sorry. I'll stop teasing. What freaked you out about the first dream?"

"Aside from the boudoir scene?" Blaine nodded. "I don't know. Everything just felt wrong and scary. I felt like I was _trapped_."

"Maybe part of you is still scared about how things were last year?" Kurt had considered that, but it was only in the dreams he had been afraid. In the real world, he was never anything less than nervously excited to see him.

"I don't know. Maybe. But the next dream was _so_ nice." Kurt simpered pensively. "I hope I have another dream."

xoxoxo

**Those we've met so far:**

**David – son of Hades and Persephone**

**Paul – Hades (Pluto in Latin), god of the underworld and wealth (the Greeks believed that since precious jewels and metals came from underground that the were part of Hades realm)**

**Sophie – Persephone/Kore (Proserpina in Latin), goddess of spring and queen of the underworld**

**Aaron – Eros (Cupid in Latin), god of love**

**Sarah – Psyche (Psyche in Latin), goddess of the soul**

**Homer – an old rat David befriended in the Underworld**

**Aphrodite – (Venus in Latin) Goddess of love and beauty**

**Hermes – (Mercury in Latin) Messenger of the gods and escort of souls to the Underworld**

**Apollo – (Apollo in Latin) God of the sun, medicine, knowledge, music, and poetry**

**Demetria – Demeter (Ceres in Latin) Goddess of the harvest and seasons**

**Zeus – (Jupiter in Latin) King of the gods and god of the sky **

**Hera – (Juno in Latin) Queen of the gods and goddess of Marriage, women and birth**

**Morpheus – (Morpheus in Latin) god of dreams**

**Icelus – (couldn't find an accurate Latin variation) – god of nightmares**

**Artemis – (Diana in Latin) goddess of the hunt, wilderness, the moon**

**Priapus – (Mutunus Tutunus in Latin) minor god of fertility, gardens and male genitalia (he's also the reason you should call your doctor if you have an erection lasting longer than 3 hours…lol)**


	14. Powerless

**I'm really sorry if there are any formatting issues with this. I can't upload stories at this time (I keep getting "We are unfortunately unable to convert your document. This could be an internal error or a problem with your file. Please try again.") so I exported a chapter from another story and copy-pasted the new chapter over it.**

xoxoxo

David had survived his first day being powerless. It was the strangest, most disconcerting thing he had ever experienced. Part of being grounded included not having the use of his car, so he had to walk to school. Walking down the streets just served to reinforce how powerless he was; he couldn't understand any of the birds or squirrels he passed by. Normally, he'd overhear all of their casual conversations, mediate a few disputes, or just chit chat with them a little. He had learned to be discreet in his communications with animals after being taunted in elementary school, but being _completely_ unable to talk to them just felt so _unnatural_ to him.

School was pretty typical; despite the small infestations of pests common in most public building, the amount of rodents and insects at McKinley was minute enough that David usually didn't hear them all that much throughout the day. Even when he did hear them, unless he was really paying attention to _what_ they were saying, it was difficult to differentiate them from the students…except perhaps the jocks; vermin and jocks both tended to focus on the same two things: sex and food.

Talking to Kurt throughout the day, between classes, had more than made up for it. Mostly, Kurt had just quizzed him on his knowledge of mythology. Kurt's interest in the subject was encouraging to David; it showed that Kurt was actually receptive to what David was telling him in the dreams. The more he understood and remembered the easier it would be for David to eventually say "Hey, Kurt. You know those dreams you've been having about me? Yeah, well, they're real. I'm a god. Surprise!" To David, it was like coming out; he was excited about the idea of not living in the shadow of the secret, but at the same time, he was terrified of the possible backlash.

David entered into his living room, threw his book bag on the couch, and bounded up the stairs. Opening his bedroom door, David slowly entered into the room, surveying the mess. Everything that _had_ been on his dresser, desk, or nightstand was now on the floor. Pavarotti sat on top of David's open closet door, his feathers ruffled up making him look twice as large. Homer was on the floor scuttling around the door, his little black eyes intent on Pavarotti as he tried to find a way to reach the bird. "What the hell happened in here?" Homer looked over at David for a moment before turning back to Pavarotti and gnashing his teeth.

Pavarotti flew to David's shoulder and puffed himself back up again, darting his head in Homer's direction with his beak open. Even though David couldn't understand what Pavarotti was saying, he recognized the body language as meaning "fuck off."

"Dammit, Homer. It's been _one_ fucking day and you've already gone feral." He knew Homer had absolutely no desire to have a "brother" or "sister," but he had figured Homer could deal with it for at least a few weeks, at _least_ until he could return Pavarotti back to his proper owner. David stuck Pavarotti through the door of his cage, shut it behind him and then went after Homer. Homer kept still as David picked him up, but nipped his finger as soon as he was in David's hand, letting out pissed-off little chattering noises. "Don't worry, you furry little brat. I'm going to move Pavarotti and once I get my powers back, you and I are having a nice _long_ talk about your social skills." David put Homer back into his own cage and then shut and locked the door.

He picked up Pavarotti's cage off the top of Homer's cage and left his bedroom, heading back downstairs, towards the kitchen. He stopped at the bottom of the stairs as he heard the front door opening, his nana and his mom coming home. "David, get your school stuff out of the living room."

"Yep, let me just finish with Pavarotti real quick."

His grandmother placed a kiss on David's cheek before looking into Pavarotti's cage. "Oh, look. How beautiful. Why are your feathers all askew little friend?" Demetria listened to Pavarotti patiently while he chirped, whistled and squeaked at her. "David you need to get that rodent of yours under control. Poor little baby." Demetria stuck a finger through the bars of Pavarotti's cage and stroked Pavarotti's cheek.

"Yeah, I'm gonna talk to him once I get my powers back. He's a little jackass anytime a new animal comes in the house."

Demetria furrowed her brows, "What happened to your powers?"

"I'm grounded for stealing from the Underworld."

Demetria placed her hands on her hips and turned on Sophie. "How can you let your husband terrorize your son like that? It's child abuse." Demetria turned back to David and stroked his cheek lovingly, caressing him just like she had Pavarotti. "You poor baby. I'd file a complaint with Zeus. That's an abuse of power."

David moved his head away from his grandmother's mollycoddling, "I'm not mad. I kind of deserve it."

"Nonsense. Your father's a bully. No wonder, with influences like that, you had all those troubles last year." Demetria followed David through the kitchen and into his mother's sunroom: a former porch that had the roof and mesh windows replaced with glass panels. David moved a Christmas cactus off of a small glass table and placed Pavarotti's cage in its place.

"Can we really not get into this, Nana? My problems last year were _my_ problems. Not my dad's. I'm dealing with them."

Demetria rubbed her grandson's back, smiling at him lovingly, even though he had his back to her. "And that's why you're such a good boy. You don't let your father corrupt you."

_"Enough_ Mother! Stop trying to poison David against Paul. If it hasn't worked so far, it's not going to work. And I resent the way you treat Paul. I _love_ him."

Demetria waved her hand dismissively, "Only because that worthless bastard of Aphrodite's contaminated you."

"I'm not listening to this anymore. You will respect my husband in _my_ home, or you will leave." Demetria let out a bitter snort, but said nothing else on the matter. David, recognizing from experience that his mother and grandmother would snip at each other for the next few hours exited the porch and headed off towards the stables. Even if he couldn't understand the horses, he knew that they wouldn't give him any grief.

xoxoxo

The next two weeks passed uneventfully for Kurt, at least dream-wise. He was starting to doubt the veracity of his memories with regards to the dreams. After all, don't _all_ dreams seem unusually realistic at the time of the dream? And which was more likely: that it was two separate dreams or simply one, long dream that he misremembered?

His intent on learning everything about Greek mythology was starting to seem stupid and juvenile. It was nice to talk about it with David, but other than that, it served no genuine purpose. He had returned the book to the library only half-finished.

Kurt shoved his books into his bag, getting ready to head home for the day, dreading his math homework. Now that he no longer had his head stuck in the clouds, he was starting to fall head-first into his school work only to realize that while he was leaps and bounds beyond other students in some of his classes (anything art related, English, French, and even social studies), in other classes he was drowning, fast and furiously (math, science, gym, and health class: although the latter he blamed on lack of interest as opposed to genuine difficulty. Why the hell did he want to learn the physics of how a guy and girl made a baby? How the hell would _that_ ever help him?). Math was easily his weakest subject. Just looking at the red cover of his math book with the protractor and compass on it gave him heart palpitations. Fighting the urge to grumble about the uselessness of trigonometric functions, Kurt threw the book unceremoniously into his bag.

"Peek-a-boo." After the shock David had given him the week before last, he had taken to announcing himself in different ways each day, well before getting to Kurt. It was silly and immature and so thoroughly _David_. Kurt looked up and smiled at his dedicated bodyguard and full-time crush.

Rolling his eyes, Kurt zipped up his book bag. "Hello, _Dork_."

"Hey, now, no name-calling. How was your last period?"

David asked him about each class, each day. Sometimes this would lead to long, thoughtful conversations on the state of American education, but, more often than not, Kurt would segue the conversation towards something less mundane. "I hate math and, I'm fairly certain, math hates me."

"Math can be an cruel mistress. What's the problem?"

"It's trigonometry. _Everything_ is a problem. I need one of those bumper stickers that says "Dear math, I'm not a therapist, solve your own problems."

David laughed. "I need one of those for my creative writing class…Although, I don't think it would have quite the same punch to it." David contorted his face into a grimace. "Actually, it wouldn't work at all. Never mind. I'm done with stupid comments."

Kurt smiled. David always said the stupidest things, but still came off looking awkward and cute. "You're taking calculus, aren't you?"

"Calc II, actually. Why?"

"Well…I was hoping you could help me with my trig homework. I'll assume since you're in calculus you were reasonably proficient enough in trigonometry to progress pass it."

David looked down at Kurt, his eyebrows scrunched in confusion. "You want _me_ to **tutor** _you_?"

Kurt raised a single shoulder. "Why not? You're good at math; I'm bad at it. And you taught me a lot about mythology, so you're obviously a capable teacher."

"Um. I'd _love_ to. Do you want to meet up somewhere, or I could come over to your house, or you could come to mine."

Kurt thought about David in his bedroom for half a moment before a vision of his very angry father holding a shotgun and a bloody disfigured David invaded his daydreams. "Um… _my_ house might be a bad idea. I could come over to your house though, if it's not a problem."

"Sure. I work from seven to five on the weekends unless there's a football game, but other than that, I'm finished with football practice everyday at four thirty except Fridays when we have games. And Wednesdays and Mondays we usually don't have practice. And then that'll probably all change once the nursery switches to its winter hours since I'll be working with my dad."

Kurt thought that through for a minute. "If this becomes a regular thing, you're definitely going to have to write that all down for me. But if you're available tonight, I am."

Nodding, David replied, "Totally."

xoxoxo

**Those we've met so far:**

**David – son of Hades and Persephone**

**Paul – Hades (Pluto in Latin), god of the underworld and wealth (the Greeks believed that since precious jewels and metals came from underground that they were part of Hades realm)**

**Sophie – Persephone/Kore (Proserpina in Latin), goddess of spring and queen of the underworld**

**Aaron – Eros (Cupid in Latin), god of love**

**Sarah – Psyche (Psyche in Latin), goddess of the soul**

**Homer – an old rat David befriended in the Underworld**

**Aphrodite – (Venus in Latin) Goddess of love and beauty**

**Hermes – (Mercury in Latin) Messenger of the gods and escort of souls to the Underworld**

**Apollo – (Apollo in Latin) God of the sun, medicine, knowledge, music, and poetry**

**Demetria – Demeter (Ceres in Latin) Goddess of the harvest and seasons**

**Zeus – (Jupiter in Latin) King of the gods and god of the sky **

**Hera – (Juno in Latin) Queen of the gods and goddess of Marriage, women and birth**

**Morpheus – (Morpheus in Latin) god of dreams**

**Icelus – (couldn't find an accurate Latin variation) – god of nightmares**

**Artemis – (Diana in Latin) goddess of the hunt, wilderness, the moon**

**Priapus – (Mutunus Tutunus in Latin) minor god of fertility, gardens and male genitalia (he's also the reason you should call your doctor if you have an erection lasting longer than 3 hours…lol)**


	15. Dreamless

**Sorry if this gets a little preachy at one point, but you have to bear in mind David is going to have strong opinions on the topic…you'll understand when you get there.**

xoxoxo

David rushed to make sure the entire house was spotless. He knew Kurt could be a bit of a neat freak and didn't want to disgust him. His father was a very organized person, but that just meant that the piles of junk and paperwork around the house all had a common theme. His mother was definitely the neatest person in the house, but she was such a naturalist that she had a tendency to just "let things be." The windows rarely got washed, she didn't believe in disinfectants or other harsh chemical cleaners and it wasn't uncommon for the dirt from all of her plants to wind up on the floor occasionally. David wasn't any better.

His bedroom was the last room to get cleaned that day. Homer watched him curiously from his cage (where he was still locked up as a punishment for terrorizing Pavarotti). After all of his clothes were hung up, his floor vacuumed and each surface organized, David eyed up his bed. He couldn't recall having _ever_ "made" his bed in his life. Even the phrase seemed foreign and unusual to him. How did you "make" a bed? Even if there weren't any sheets on it, it was still technically a bed.

His comforter was bunched at the foot of his bed, a single pillow on top of it. Another pillow had fallen off of the bed some time in the middle of the night and gotten shoved _under_ the bed by the vacuum. The cotton sheet was mostly scrunched up with the comforter, leaving the mattress exposed. Part of him vaguely recalled a second sheet with elastic corners, but it had confused him so much that he had cut it up to use as a rags. David pulled everything off the bed, balled up the sheet and threw it in the closet. He placed the comforter over the bare mattress, doing his best to make it fairly even on both sides. He then grabbed the two pillows off of the floor and forced them back into their cases. Somehow each pillow seemed to creep out of its case a little more each night until David either pulled the cases off all together or shoved them roughly back in. He centered the two pillows, one on top of the other, at the top of his bed and then tried laying them side-by-side next to each other. He decided it looked better the second way.

Homer, seeming to sense that David was cleaning for an actual _purpose_ had started straightening out his own cage, delicately placing loose food back into his bowl. David was fairly certain Homer was trying to suck up by being extra-well behaved lately. David pulled out Homer's litter box and dumped it in his own trashcan in the bathroom. He had just finished re-filling it when he heard the doorbell ring. David roughly pushed the litter box back into Homer's cage, trusting the rat the move it back into a desirable position as he quite literally ran downstairs, jumping over the last few steps to expedite the process. David stopped just shy of running into the door and paused to collect his breath.

David opened the door to Kurt's smiling face. "Hello, Dave."

"Hey, Kurt. Come on in." David stepped aside to let Kurt pass him and watched his expression as Kurt took in David's house for the first time.

The dozens of plants throughout his living room and dining room, which felt so natural to David, apparently impressed Kurt. "Wow! It's like a rainforest in here. Your mom must _really_ take her work seriously." Variegated ivy draped down the banister; sago palms and yucca plants framed the large, picture windows that faced the front yard; a Chinese evergreen sat on the decorative cupboards next to the television set; a bonsai was centered on the coffee table. Kurt could quickly count off thirty different plants from his view of the first floor: the vast majority of which he couldn't even begin to name. "I almost expect some parrots or monkeys to jump out at me."

"My mom's a bit over-zealous."

Kurt moved throughout the living room, checking out each plant one by one. There were a few typical decorations aside from the abundance of plants: baby pictures of David, a matching set of iridescent mother-of-pearl colored vases sitting on a shelf over the television, a bowl of decorative marbles sitting in front of the DVD collection lining the shelves of the television cabinet. Kurt noticed a thick bundle of DVDs that said _Hercules: The Legendary Journeys_, next to that, a DVD set that was obviously pirated said _Young Hercules_, and next to that, another professionally done set that said _Xena: Warrior Princess_. "Jesus. No wonder you know so much about Greek mythology."

David shrugged, kind of embarrassed about his father's obsession with the television series. "Yeah. It's more my dad's thing. But I've been watching it my whole life. I kind of had a crush on Kevin Smith when I was younger."

Kurt frowned. "You had a crush on _Silent Bob_?" He fought back the urge to say 'ew'.

David cocked his head to the side. "What? No. A _different_ actor named Kevin Smith. He played Ares in the Hercules and Xena shows. He died a few years back when I was younger, though. He was totally hot."

Kurt giggled at the face David was making as David opened the cabinet and pulled out one of the DVDs. Turning it over and handing it to Kurt, he pointed to a picture of a leather-clad bad-boy with wavy black hair, a nasty scowl and a well-groomed goatee. "I never took you for the type to have a leather fetish." David turned beet red as he snatched the DVD away from Kurt and shoved it back into the cabinet. Giggling even harder, Kurt pouted. "Awww…I didn't mean to embarrass you."

David shrugged like it was no big deal, even though he was still a bright shade of pink. "I don't think I had like…a _sexual_ crush on him. More like a jealous bro-crush. Kind of like I wanted to _be_ like him."

Kurt circled David appraisingly, quite obviously checking him out. "I think you could pull off the leather stud look."

David folded his arms across his chest, self-consciously. "Um…so, you want to get started, or what?"

"Started on what?" David looked at Kurt's school bag, then back at Kurt's face. "Oh…duh! Of course."

David waved at Kurt to follow him to his room. Kurt continued to look the house over curiously as he followed David up the stairs. There were two doors at the top of the stairs; the door on the right lead to Paul's office (though Kurt didn't know that) and the one on the left lead to David's bedroom. Back on the first floor, below these two rooms was the master bedroom. The living room had a cathedral ceiling, so there was no second floor over the living or dining rooms. The kitchen had a normal ceiling height, but no second floor either; the same went for the sunroom.

David opened his bedroom door for Kurt, ushering him in. Kurt passed him, taking in David's room as he entered. From his own point of view, David's room was rather messy, although it was kind of obvious David had made _some_ kind of attempt to clean. Spotting the cage between David's TV table and desk, curiosity overtook him. It appeared to made of two metal cages zip-tied together where they met in the middle. The entire bottom was solid, with two half shelves attached halfway up the height of the cage. The whole setup was on a set of wheels. A small metal plaque announced the cage to be a "Critter Nation." There were little felt hammocks in the cage, colorful toilet paper tubes, a litter box in one corner, a felt tent and many bells and other hanging toys for the "critter's" amusement. After searching for a few minutes, Kurt found a large brown rat, its beady little eyes staring at Kurt nosily. Jumping up, Kurt let out a very un-manly shriek. "There's a rat in your room!"

David winced. He'd been afraid of how Kurt would react to Homer. "Yep. His name's Homer."

"David. There...is…a… _rat_…in…your…ROOM!"

"Yep. Once again, his name is Homer. He's a sweety-pie and I've had him for ages. You want to meet him?" David moved towards Homer's cage, intent on opening it up. Homer, terrified of Kurt's reaction to him, quickly scurried into his tent, out of David's potential reach.

"I would rather _not_." Kurt backed up towards the bedroom door, ready to escape if David opened up the cage. David, accepting defeat, retreated from Homer's cage and went over to his desk, pulling the chair out for Kurt. "You promise not to let him out?"

David sighed, disappointed at Kurt's narrow-mindedness. "Yeah. He'll stay in his cage. He's really nice though. Rats make awesome pets."

Kurt took the chair and moved it over to the side of the desk, as far from Homer as the desk allowed. "No, David. _Dogs_ make awesome pets. _Cats_ make awesome pets. _Birds_ make awesome pets. _Fish_ make awesome pets. _Rats_ make awesome guinea pigs in laboratories."

David felt his temper beginning to flare. "You _support_ animal testing?"

Kurt shrugged nonchalantly. He had meant it jokingly, but the fact that David got so defensive about it kind of made him _want_ to bait David. "If it helps make humans healthier."

David shook his head. "I can't believe you. Do you have any _idea_ how horrible that is?" Kurt sucked in the sides of his cheeks, trying to keep his own temper in check. "Do you know what vivisection means, Kurt? Scientists cut open animals while _they're still alive_. Most scientific testing done on animals isn't even applicable towards humans because animals _aren't_ humans. Their bodies work differently than ours."

Kurt pulled his book out of his bag and placed it on David's desk. "Look, can we just forget I said anything and get this done?" Kurt wasn't certain how he felt right now. David was being scary and aggressive about this whole thing. He understood where David was coming from, but everyone was allowed their own opinions and David had no right to deny him his right to his opinion.

Letting out an angry huff of air, David pulled a second chair over to the desk. Kurt could hear David, very faintly, get the last word in on the topic. "There is a special place in hell for people who hurt animals." Kurt furrowed his brows. He had heard that somewhere before…but where? "So what are you having trouble with?"

Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, Kurt flipped open his book to one of the first chapters and pointed to the problems he was supposed to be working on.

"Okay. This is easy." David sounded less agitated to Kurt. "Have you ever heard of Soh Cah Toa?"

"Yeah, but I have trouble remembering it. Or when to use which formula."

David pulled a post-it note from a stack on his table and a pencil from out of a cup. "Okay, remembering it should be easy for you if you can memorize this mnemonic: '_Sing out happily, 'cause a healthy tune obtains applause'._" David wrote down the phrase on the post-it and slapped it onto the open page in Kurt's textbook. "Once you have that memorized, all you need to remember is to group the words into threes. The first word in each group will always tell you which function you're using: sine, cosine, or tangent." From the "s" in "sing" David connected the word "sine" vertically, then "cosine" from the "c" in "'cause" and "tangent" from the "t" in "tune." "After that, just remember that "O" is the side _opposite_ the angle you're solving for, hypotenuse is always the longest side of a right angle, and adjacent is always the second side of the angle, the hypotenuse being the first side."

"Okay, but what if the angle is opposite the hypotenuse?"

David narrowed his eyes. "Kurt…it's a _right_ triangle. The angle opposite the hypotenuse is always a _right_ angle."

"Oh, yeah."

xoxoxo

Kurt was finishing up some research for his social studies class later that night when curiosity overtook him; he Googled "animal testing."

Ten minutes later he felt sick to his stomach and the uncontrollable urge to apologize to David.

…though he still had no desire to befriend Homer.

xoxoxo

**Those we've met so far:**

**David – son of Hades and Persephone**

**Paul – Hades (Pluto in Latin), god of the underworld and wealth (the Greeks believed that since precious jewels and metals came from underground that the were part of Hades realm)**

**Sophie – Persephone/Kore (Proserpina in Latin), goddess of spring and queen of the underworld**

**Aaron – Eros (Cupid in Latin), god of love**

**Sarah – Psyche (Psyche in Latin), goddess of the soul**

**Homer – an old rat David befriended in the Underworld**

**Aphrodite – (Venus in Latin) Goddess of love and beauty**

**Hermes – (Mercury in Latin) Messenger of the gods and escort of souls to the Underworld**

**Apollo – (Apollo in Latin) God of the sun, medicine, knowledge, music, and poetry**

**Demetria – Demeter (Ceres in Latin) Goddess of the harvest and seasons**

**Zeus – (Jupiter in Latin) King of the gods and god of the sky **

**Hera – (Juno in Latin) Queen of the gods and goddess of Marriage, women and birth**

**Morpheus – (Morpheus in Latin) god of dreams**

**Icelus – (couldn't find an accurate Latin variation) – god of nightmares**

**Artemis – (Diana in Latin) goddess of the hunt, wilderness, the moon**

**Priapus – (Mutunus Tutunus in Latin) minor god of fertility, gardens and male genitalia (he's also the reason you should call your doctor if you have an erection lasting longer than 3 hours…lol)**


	16. Teenage Dream

Kurt eventually did apologize to David, but informed him he still had no desire to go anywhere near the rat. David spent nearly an hour arguing that Homer was healthier and cleaner than most people, but Kurt, being as fastidious as he was, didn't buy that for half a second.

Over the next week, Kurt returned to David's house three more times until he was fairly certain he was _ahead_ of the rest of his math class. David was smart and a good teacher. David almost made math entertaining…_almost_. David had moved Pavarotti to his parents' room during this time to prevent Kurt from accidentally running into him.

After each tutoring session, they either talked about mutual interests, taught each other about their own interests, or David showed Kurt around his home. David's house was situated on a huge plot of land. Most of it was dedicated to growing Christmas trees and pumpkins, but quite a bit of it was empty to give the horses room to run and graze. And goats as well, Kurt discovered on his second trip. According to David, they were Nigerian dwarf goats. They were the most adorable, affectionate little things Kurt had ever seen. Anytime David entered into their paddocks, the whole herd of twenty goats rushed over to David and began bleating excitedly at him and butting against him affectionately. It kind of reminded Kurt of a kindergarten class.

The horses, separated into a different paddock, always looked on interestedly when the goats got loud.

While the goats were adorable, Kurt was more interested in the horses. He was tempted to ask David to teach him to ride, but wasn't certain how to broach the subject. Lygo, the foal, he noticed, had grown significantly since he had seen him at the fair. He no longer looked like a scrawny stick figure, but instead had packed on some meat and muscle and looked like a shrunken-down version of his parents.

He loved this time alone with David, hanging out, not having to worry about school, and just talking. He was becoming so comfortable around David that he was starting to forget about the David he had dreamed of. Until the dreams came back…

xoxoxo

David couldn't believe what an adrenaline rush it was to get his powers back. It was as though someone had hooked him up to a generator; raw power surged through him and practically made him _buzz_ with energy. Homer was probably the happiest that David had gotten his powers back, chatting away a mile a minute about everything he had wanted to say during the past three weeks. "And he completely deserved it. That feathery little McNugget is such an arrogant, vain, snotty, pea-brain that I couldn't _take_ it anymore. All he would talk about was _Grey's Anatomy_, _Next Top Model_ and _Project Runway_. He is the most brainless, inane, puerile thing I have ever met. And then he had the nerve to insult _me_ for wanting to watch CNN. He called me a stodgy old geezer. I _had_ to shut him up or I would have been forced to shove his cage out of the window. I could have done it, you know."

"I don't care about it, Homer. You're just lucky I don't ground you for another week." David unlatched Homer's cage, allowing him out on his own for the first time in three weeks.

David lay down in bed, getting himself settled in for the night. He could feel the comforter tugging as Homer used it to pull himself up; it was a knitted comforter (courtesy of Athena), that allowed Homer to dig his little fingers into the material in order to scale it. A few minutes later, he felt Homer's whiskers tickling inside his ear. "You know I'm not sorry, right?"

"Shut up and go to bed, Homer."

"He's just lucky I didn't pluck him like a chicken." David groaned and buried his head under a pillow.

When he "woke up" inside Kurt's dream, he was standing in a group of people, but their faces were all blurred. He was dressed in a scratchy, stiff uniform and was, horror of horrors, _singing_. Since part of David's powers was dedicated to allowing him to talk to animals, he could perfectly mimic any sound a biological being could create. David _could_ sing, and very well at that, he was just too self-conscious to ever do it in front of anyone other than Homer.

David was passingly familiar with the song he was singing, but not entirely certain of the lyrics. Kurt was still in control of the dream though, so David just went along with it, the faceless people around him providing the harmony.

_This is real so take a chance_

_And don't ever look back_

_Don't ever look back_

_I'ma get your heart racing_

_In my skin tight jeans_

_Be your teenage dream tonight_

_Let you put your hands on me_

_In my skin tight jeans_

_Be your teenage dream tonight_

Kurt was his only audience and he clapped animatedly as the song wound down. As David took control of the dream, he fidgeted nervously with the tie he was wearing. Ties and suits were very familiar to him as it was his typical attire when working with his father, however it was an unfamiliar, and, in his opinion, unflattering suit, so it made him feel awkward.

Kurt's eyes went wide as he became more aware of the dream. David smiled at him, happy to be able to visit him in his dreams, once again. "Please don't ever expect me to do that in the real world. Lip-syncing at the football game was bad enough.

Kurt didn't seem to hear him, instead mouthing his name, "David." Kurt launched himself at David, wrapping his arms around him. "I thought I was going insane. That I had imagined the whole thing…well, you know what I mean. That the dreams had never happened and that I was just crazy." As Kurt focused on David, Kurt's desire to be alone with him grew and David made the faceless backup singers slowly fade out.

David rubbed his hand up and down Kurt's back, enjoying the closeness. He and Kurt were never this familiar with one another when they were awake. "Some stuff happened and I wasn't able to come."

Kurt pulled back from David a bit, his hands still clasped over David's arms. "I'm confused, whose dream is this? Mine or yours?"

Kurt didn't appear truly curious in his question, saying it with a slight laugh in his voice, a smile plastered across his face. "Couldn't it be both? Couldn't it be possible for two people to love each other so much that their dreams merge?"

Kurt looked marveled by that. "That's the most corny, romantic thing you've ever said. This is definitely _my_ dream." Kurt raised himself up on his toes slightly, kissing David delicately on the lips.

David was divided between focusing on the kiss and realizing that he was far taller than Kurt in his dream than in real life. David pressed back into the kiss, leaning forward as Kurt pulled back from him. David leaned down to Kurt, rubbing his lips over Kurt's cheek. "It better be your dream; you've dressed me in the most uncomfortable suit I've ever worn."

Kurt ran his fingers over the red piping on the lapel. "Yes, Dalton's synthetic-wool blend suits were one of the most frequent causes of complaint."

"Oh, great. So you decided to punish _me_?"

xoxoxo

Not long after, David and Kurt sat on the couch in the Warbler's lounge again, David now wearing leather pants, a black t-shirt and leather jacket. Kurt was lying back on the couch, his legs draped over David's. "I wish I could give you a makeover in the real world. Those polos make me want to burn down the Gap and all of their subsidiaries."

David let his hand rest on Kurt's thigh, desperately trying not to think about how close it was to…well, every dream he had ever dreamed. "Someday. So long as you don't put me in anything frilly."

Kurt smiled, before letting his head hang back over the arm of the couch. "Nothing frilly. Just sex-tacular." He could feel David chuckle, more than he could hear it. David had a nice laugh, one that rolled throughout his whole chest, deep and throaty. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Yeah."

"Do you promise to answer honestly?"

"Of course."

Kurt licked his lips and raised his head up to look at David. "Back during that first dream…were you going to have sex with me?" He hadn't even been aware David was rubbing his thumb over Kurt's thigh until he stopped the action.

"I…yeah. I mean, it was a _dream_. I'd be crazy to not at least _try_."

Kurt pulled his legs out of David's lap and sat up, drawing his knees close to his chest and wrapping his arms around them. "So, if I hadn't woken up, you and I would have…" Kurt let his voice trail off, leaving the question hanging heavily in the air.

David wasn't entirely certain how to respond. He had had _so_ many dreams about having sex with Kurt. He hadn't thought twice about his plans for that first dream-walk. "I wouldn't have _forced_ you to do anything." Kurt looked at him disbelievingly. _"Kurt_! You can't honestly think I'd _rape_ you."

Kurt swallowed and looked away from David, staring down at his toes on the edge of the couch. "I don't know what to think. I was so afraid."

David had the decency to look ashamed of himself. He tentatively reached his hand over to Kurt and let it just sit on his shoulder, attempting to be reassuring. "I'm so sorry, Kurt. I just want you to like me. I guess the success of my parents' marriage is just a _really_ bad model for me to try and follow."

Kurt was quiet for a while before he smiled sadly. "Hmm…that's right. The Greek gods almost always had fucked up relationships. Please tell me your dad didn't rape your mother in the form of an animal or something."

David let out a loud, barking laugh. "God, no. I think you're talking about my uncle…slash grandfather."

Kurt's smile grew into a genuine one. "That might just be the _creepiest_ thing I've _ever_ heard."

xoxoxo

**Those we've met so far:**

**David – son of Hades and Persephone**

**Paul – Hades (Pluto in Latin), god of the underworld and wealth (the Greeks believed that since precious jewels and metals came from underground that they were part of Hades realm)**

**Sophie – Persephone/Kore (Proserpina in Latin), goddess of spring and queen of the underworld**

**Aaron – Eros (Cupid in Latin), god of love**

**Sarah – Psyche (Psyche in Latin), goddess of the soul**

**Homer – an old rat David befriended in the Underworld**

**Aphrodite – (Venus in Latin) Goddess of love and beauty**

**Hermes – (Mercury in Latin) Messenger of the gods and escort of souls to the Underworld**

**Apollo – (Apollo in Latin) God of the sun, medicine, knowledge, music, and poetry**

**Demetria – Demeter (Ceres in Latin) Goddess of the harvest and seasons**

**Zeus – (Jupiter in Latin) King of the gods and god of the sky **

**Hera – (Juno in Latin) Queen of the gods and goddess of Marriage, women and birth**

**Morpheus – (Morpheus in Latin) god of dreams**

**Icelus – (couldn't find an accurate Latin variation) – god of nightmares**

**Artemis – (Diana in Latin) goddess of the hunt, wilderness, the moon**

**Priapus – (Mutunus Tutunus in Latin) minor god of fertility, gardens and male genitalia (he's also the reason you should call your doctor if you have an erection lasting longer than 3 hours…lol)**


	17. Running

**I don't know football. I don't _like_ football (yeah, I know, sacrilege the week before the SuperBowl), so I used my local high school's team for reference.**

xoxoxo

"Have you _seen_ them? They're huge!" It was nearing the end of September and the McKinley Titans were getting ready to play their first game. "It's going to be _so_ embarrassing to lose not only our first game of the season, but a _home_ game, at that."

Puckerman threw a hand rag at Mike. "Shut the hell up, Dude. It's bad luck if we lose the first game. And _talking_ about losing is even worse."

"I better not hear any crap about my championship players losing." Everyone in the locker room straightened up and finished pulling the last of their shirts and pads on as Coach Bieste entered. "The Eagles are tough, but last year, you proved to me you were the best team out there and I have seen nothing but improvement these past few weeks. You remember what you learned last year, you push the way you have since school started and you keep your eyes on the prize, you go for the goal, and I _promise_ you, we will beat them."

xoxoxo

David was starting to think Mike was right. The Eagles were just too fast and too strong. Like many of the Titans, the Eagles believed that their only chance for a future lie with football. Unlike the Titans, the Eagles went to a horrifically over populated inner city school, giving the coach a bigger pool of students to select from. The Titan's superior coaching and strategies were the only things that had kept them afloat during the game. Now, with less than a minute left in the game, the Eagles in possession of the ball and the Eagles winning 36-32, it was unlikely there would be any McKinley celebration parties this weekend.

The ball was in the hands of the Eagle's center at the thirty yard line getting ready for the snap. David stood off and to the side, keeping his eyes on the Eagle player in front of him. From the corner of his eye, David could see the snap and the play begin. He began running backwards and towards the center, hoping to cut off the Eagle's quarterback's line of advance. But as several McKinley Titan's bore down on the quarterback, he launched the ball towards the player David had been covering in the lineup.

But he overshot.

As the ball soared towards David's helmet, he jumped up and caught it, just barely, in the crook of his right elbow. As his feet landed back on the ground, he began running before his mind could even finish processing _"Holy, shit. I CAUGHT it!"_ He had just gotten into a decent run, when he was t-boned, sending him end over end. His left shoulder rammed into the ground, sending sharp, shooting pain throughout his whole left side.

David allowed his body to continue the roll the momentum of the fall had caused, immediately righting himself when his feet were right-side down. Pushing off into another mad dash, his arm hanging uselessly at his side, David rocketed towards the Titan's endzone, all the while screaming in his head "Ow…ow…OWWW!" He knew his arm was fucked up royally, but he couldn't stop to think about that; the second he stopped, the second he allowed himself to take his mind off the goal, the pain would become too much.

Dodging the blue and white uniform of the Eagles, David kept pushing the balls of his feet into the soft ground, launching himself forward with each step. There were surprisingly few Eagle's to dodge; they had all been running towards their own endzone when David caught the ball and it took most of them a moment or so to change directions.

After what felt like hours, but couldn't have been more than a few minutes, David passed the goal line and into the endzone. Collapsing to his knees, David could vaguely hear the roar of the crowd. There were only fifteen seconds left in the game. He had won it. He had won the game for the Titans. Seconds later, he was stampeded by his own teammates. One of them grabbed his bad arm and hauled him to his feet. David let out a painful roar as he clutched at his shoulder. "Dude, what the fuck happened to your arm?"

The cheering and congratulations of his teammates died down as more Titans noticed the way his left shoulder slumped unnaturally, the arm swinging flaccidly at his side. "I can't move it. I think I broke it."

Coach Bieste, having noticed the way David's arm swung like a pendulum the entire time he was running had headed for the endzone, paramedics at her side, the moment David had made the touchdown. Putting her hand on his good shoulder, she turned him towards herself and gave him the once over. "Not broken, just dislocated."

"It fucking hurts." It started hurting worse as the paramedics began manhandling him, trying to assess his injury.

"I bet it does. That was a damn fool thing you did. You could have screwed your arm up worse." Coach Bieste pulled her headset off, shaking her head disappointedly at David. "You're a smart kid. You've gotten hurt plenty of times before. You should have laid down and played dead the second you noticed the pain wasn't _normal_. It's just one game; your health ain't worth it."

Mumbling _"You're welcome"_ David slunk off the field, guided by the two paramedics who were still fussing over him.

xoxoxo

"It was totally awesome. None of us thought we could pull it off. At halftime we were completely bowled over that we could even keep up with them. _No one_ thought we'd actually win." Finn twirled his spaghetti around his fork and shoved it down his throat, continuing his narration even with a full mouth. "So we've got like, I dunno, forty seconds left, we're on the defensive, the Eagles are twenty yards from ending the game, when their quarterback fucks up-"

"Language, Finn." Finn ignored Burt and the look he got from his mom while he finished up the story. The Hudmels hadn't been able to attend the game due to work (or lack of interest in the case of Kurt) so Finn felt it was his duty as a good son to share it with them play-by-play, second by agonizing second. Kurt was pretty certain he would pass out in his sauce from boredom if the story didn't pick up soon.

"Karofsky ends up catching the ball and runs it eighty yards into the endzone winning us the game." The mention of Karofsky caught both Kurt and Burt's attention.

"Karofsky?"

Finn nodded at his stepfather. "Yeah, he messed up his shoulder real bad too. He ran the ball the whole way with it just hanging out the socket. It was gross…and _awesome_."

Burt let out a "harrumph" before shoveling his fork back into his spaghetti. "Yeah, well Karma's a bitch." Finn cocked his head to the side, a look of confusion on his face. "Least he won't be shoulder checking anyone into lockers for a while."

Finn finally caught on to Burt's animosity. "Oh, yeah. He's not like that anymore. He's a good guy now." Burt snorted disbelievingly. "Seriously. He started this like…anti-bullying program and he's been protecting Kurt."

Burt looked up at that and slowly placed his fork down on his plate. "What do you mean?"

Finn looked between Burt and his stepbrother. "Um…well, he walks Kurt to each of his classes and makes sure no one hassles him. It's like _The Bodyguard_ with Kevin Costner and Whitney Houston."

Burt's mouth hung open in an angry scowl. "People are actually letting that little monster _near_ Kurt?" Kurt pushed at a tomato on his plate, not sure how to contribute to this conversation. "That's like letting the wolf guard the sheep."

"I'm not a sheep."

Burt turned his attention on his son. "No, but you _are_ vulnerable and he _is_ a predator. People like that don't change. I have no doubt we're going to be seeing that kid on the news someday, blowing something up or beating his girlfriend to death."

How Finn thought it would help the situation was beyond Kurt's understanding , but he certainly didn't expect what he said to make things worse, "David doesn't really date. I asked him about it once and he says he's not interested, he just wants to focus on school."

"Oh great, a _loner_ that bullies people smaller than him. That doesn't sound like the makings of a sociopath at all." Burt's voice was dripping with acidic sarcasm. Carol, still quiet on the subject put her hand over his in an attempt to calm him. For a split moment, Burt considered yanking his hand away, he was so angry, but thought better of it at the last second.

"He isn't a sociopath, Dad. He was scared and ignorant last year and hung out with the _really_ wrong crowd. He's changed. He's genuinely interested in protecting me and left all the bad influences he had on him. Finn's right, he's a _good_ guy now."

Burt shook his head sadly. "Kurt, you trust people far too easily. It ever occur to you he's just trying to gain your trust so he can hurt you even worse? Look at the shit he did to you in plain view last year. What kind of stuff you think he'd pull if he got you alone? Huh?" Visions of that first locker room kiss flashed in front of Kurt's eyes, then visions of the kisses they shared in the dead of night. He had to remind himself that only the first kiss had _really_ been David, the rest had been his own overactive imagination. "I don't want a call from the police asking me to identify my son's bloody remains."

Kurt closed his eyes, pushed his plate away and stood up. Taking a steadying breath and opening his eyes again he leveled his most pleading glare at his father. "You don't even _know_ him. If _I_ can forgive David…and _Finn can too_…why can't you?" With that, Kurt left and retreated to the safety of his bedroom.

Kurt didn't dream that night because David, in agony in the hospital, didn't sleep.

xoxoxo

**Those we've met so far:**

**David – son of Hades and Persephone**

**Paul – Hades (Pluto in Latin), god of the underworld and wealth (the Greeks believed that since precious jewels and metals came from underground that they were part of Hades realm)**

**Sophie – Persephone/Kore (Proserpina in Latin), goddess of spring and queen of the underworld**

**Aaron – Eros (Cupid in Latin), god of love**

**Sarah – Psyche (Psyche in Latin), goddess of the soul**

**Homer – an old rat David befriended in the Underworld**

**Aphrodite – (Venus in Latin) Goddess of love and beauty**

**Hermes – (Mercury in Latin) Messenger of the gods and escort of souls to the Underworld**

**Apollo – (Apollo in Latin) God of the sun, medicine, knowledge, music, and poetry**

**Demetria – Demeter (Ceres in Latin) Goddess of the harvest and seasons**

**Zeus – (Jupiter in Latin) King of the gods and god of the sky **

**Hera – (Juno in Latin) Queen of the gods and goddess of Marriage, women and birth**

**Morpheus – (Morpheus in Latin) god of dreams**

**Icelus – (couldn't find an accurate Latin variation) – god of nightmares**

**Artemis – (Diana in Latin) goddess of the hunt, wilderness, the moon**

**Priapus – (Mutunus Tutunus in Latin) minor god of fertility, gardens and male genitalia (he's also the reason you should call your doctor if you have an erection lasting longer than 3 hours…lol)**


	18. Fury

**Oh, Spearit. You're so adorably impatient. Most of what you ask or comment on _will_ be addressed at some point (e.g. how David was able to get hurt so easily, and how Kurt feels about Dream Dave v. Real Dave). Just breathe deep and trust we'll get there, lol.**

xoxoxo

David headed through the halls of McKinley with the intention of meeting up with Kurt before homeroom started. He was almost to the correct hall when Azimio and Strando flanked him. With one of his arms in a sling, David immediately felt nervous. His relationship with the rest of the Titans had been pretty strained since he started up Bully Whips with Santana. He couldn't help wondering if they were going to take advantage of his infirm condition when Azimio clapped him on the back.

"Yo, that was a _killer_ touchdown you made. You a real badass when you want to be." Azimio smiled at Dave, nodding his head approvingly.

"Um…thanks. It was all instincts, really." David tried to shrug, like it was no big deal and immediately bit back a groan as pain shot through his arm. He kept forgetting he wasn't supposed to move it.

"Yeah, _animal_ instincts. You were a total beast out there." David smiled awkwardly at the compliment. It felt weird talking to people, again: at least in a friendly manner. Since the end of the previous year, anytime he talked to someone it was either about school or to defend himself or someone else. Then there was Kurt. Kurt was his only real companion, other than Homer, since the shit had gone down at prom.

"So. Here's the deal man." David looked up at Azimio, curious to see where this was going, but looked back ahead when he saw that Azimio wasn't facing him, but rather watching where they were going. "You can be a pretty cool dude…When you aren't fucking tattling on everyone like a little pussy." David sucked in his lower lip. He had no doubt now that Azimio had every intention of 'teaching him a lesson.' "No one on the team has a real bone to pick with you. We just all sick and tired of you pretending you're some kind of law-enforcement. You cut the shit out with the Bully Whips and you can be one of the boys, again."

David looked back up at Azimio who was facing him this time. "Seriously?"

"Seriously, dude. Just ditch the Bully Whips and the homo and everything can be back like it used to been."

"The homo? You mean Kurt?"

"How many other flaming fags you see around here?" Strando knocked into David's right side jovially, like it was the most obvious question in the world. Too bad Strando didn't realize that not _all_ 'homos' were obvious like Kurt.

"If I don't watch Kurt's back, someone will fuck him up."

Azimio rolled his eyes. "Dude, we get you're all fucking guilty 'bout making him switch schools and that shit, but people are starting to talk." Azimio looked around, making sure no one was in earshot and lowered his voice. "They think you and the fairy princess are joined at the ass. You keep this shit up and your rep ain't _ever_ coming back."

David swallowed thickly, weighing his options. Shaking his head he responded. "No. I can't just… _abandon_ Kurt. He's weak and…I don't know, he just expects everyone to play nice and shit. If he doesn't have someone watching out for him, he'll get his ass beat on a daily basis."

"He'd probably like it." David shot Strando a nasty glare to shut him up.

"Look, if the jocks all promise to leave the little queen alone, will you back the fuck up off him? I can't keep covering _your_ ass, Karofsky."

David thought about that for a minute. Even as a Bully Whip, he couldn't watch Kurt 24/7. But if the jocks _swore_ they wouldn't mess with him that would ensure Kurt's safety even when David wasn't around. And it was no small deal to David that he'd have friends again. He missed playing video games with the guys, going out for junk food, chilling. Plus, he'd still get to see Kurt every night and sometimes after school. "What the hell would be in it for the jocks?"

Azimio sucked his teeth, letting out a "tsk" noise. "Please, ain't no one gonna shove him around no more anyway. We can play pranks on him like we did at prom, but _no_ one, I mean NO _ONE_ is willing to go up against an angry Papa Hummel after he slammed you against the wall last year, only a few weeks after comin' out a coma. That dude's more BAMF and scary then you could _ever_ hope to be."

David smiled, nodding his head at Azimio. "I'm in dude. Just let me tell Hummel. He kind of expects me right now."

Azimio rolled his eyes again. "God damn, you keep talking like that, people gonna think you not only gay for him but you whipped by him as well. And take that stupid shit off." David looked down at his Bully Whips uniform regretfully. He had really enjoyed being part of a one-man club, but if it meant getting his friends back, he was willing to make sacrifices. Shrugging painfully out of the shiny red jacket, he handed it to Azimio who promptly tore it in half like they had to Hudson's varsity jacket sophomore year. McKinley really needed to invest in a better clothing company for it's athletic apparel.

xoxoxo

Kurt stood expectantly by his locker. It was getting close to the bell that signaled homeroom and he still had seen neither hide nor hair of David. He wondered for a moment if the injured football player had taken the day off from school. Aside from his expulsion, Kurt was fairly certain David had never really missed a day of school. At least he had seen him just about every day he could think of. As a Bully Whip, David was with Kurt every day and it would stand out vividly in Kurt's memory if he didn't show up for duty. Before he had become a Bully Whip, and before Kurt had transferred, Kurt had noticed David every day for an entirely _different_ reason.

Just as Kurt was about to give up and head to homeroom solo, he spotted David coming around a corner. Kurt smiled at him and gave a little wave. David smiled weakly and jerked his chin up in a greeting to Kurt. Kurt frowned when he saw the sling connecting David's arm to his neck. "Aw…you poor thing. Finn told me what happened."

David glanced down at his arm quickly before looking back up at Kurt. "Yeah, it's no big deal."

Kurt tilted his head to the side as he examined David's face. He looked in pain, but not from his arm. "What's wrong; you seem sad?"

"Look Kurt, I just came by to tell you I'm disbanding the Bully Whips."

Kurt tried joking it off. "Well, it's kind of hard to 'disband' a club that only has one member."

"No, I mean I'm done with it." Kurt frowned. "I'm not going to be walking you to class anymore."

Kurt thought back over his encounters with David for the past week. Had he said something, did something to upset David? Was this about the deal with the rat? Rather than puzzling it out for himself, he decided to be upfront, "Why?" David turned his head, glancing over his shoulder behind him. Three classrooms down the hall, Strando and Azimio stood watching David. "Are _they_ the reason? Are they making you? Did they threaten you? You know Figgins, Coach Sylvester and Coach Bieste won't stand for that."

David licked his lips and lowered his eyes, avoiding Kurt's gaze. "No. They didn't threaten me. I just…miss having friends."

"So, you can't have friends _and_ be a Bully Whip?" Kurt shifted his books so that he was clutching them over his chest. It felt comforting: like a shield.

"No. It doesn't really work that way. You and I can still be friends…hang out and all that, just… _not_ at school. Ok?"

Kurt could feel his face heating up. It felt like he was getting dumped by Blaine all over again, although this time the dumper didn't have any well-reasoned excuses coupled with warm assurances. "No. That's _not_ okay. Who are they to say who you _can_ and _can't_ be friends with?"

David moved in closer to Kurt, lowering his voice as Azimio had earlier. "People are starting to talk, Kurt. You know, about _me..._about _us_."

Kurt chewed on the insides of his cheeks to keep from crying. This was _worse_ than breaking up with Blaine. At least when he had been dumped by Blaine he could say that they had at least tried it. No, this was more like Finn's "faggy" rant in his bedroom over a year ago, but without the passion and anger. Which almost made it even worse. "You're afraid they'll find out you're gay?" Kurt fought back the urge to yell the 'gay' part. No matter how angry he was with David, he couldn't out someone like that. "Who the hell _cares_ what people have been saying about you? About us? There _is_ no 'us.'"

David slumped down against the locker next to Kurt. "Come on, please? We can still hang out at my place."

Kurt's lips curled up involuntarily in disgust. "If you're too ashamed to be seen with me at school, then I wouldn't be caught dead with you _outside_ of school." In typical Kurt fashion, he spun on his heel and stalked off towards his homeroom, his head held high in feigned superiority.

David turned around and returned to Azimio and Strando. "Damn, I think Tinkerbell was crushing on you like Hudson way back." David just barely restrained himself from punching Strando in the face. "Maybe you should pity fuck him just so he can pull the stick out of his ass."

With his good hand, David slammed Strando against the nearest locker. "I am _not_ a goddamned fag. You understand? If you're so obsessed with what's up Kurt's ass, maybe you should go ask him out or something." He felt ashamed of himself for what he said, but it felt good to finally be able to release some of his pent up anger. And yet, as good as it felt to slam someone around, he still didn't feel _better_.

xoxoxo

**Those we've met so far:**

**David – son of Hades and Persephone**

**Paul – Hades (Pluto in Latin), god of the underworld and wealth (the Greeks believed that since precious jewels and metals came from underground that they were part of Hades realm)**

**Sophie – Persephone/Kore (Proserpina in Latin), goddess of spring and queen of the underworld**

**Aaron – Eros (Cupid in Latin), god of love**

**Sarah – Psyche (Psyche in Latin), goddess of the soul**

**Homer – an old rat David befriended in the Underworld**

**Aphrodite – (Venus in Latin) Goddess of love and beauty**

**Hermes – (Mercury in Latin) Messenger of the gods and escort of souls to the Underworld**

**Apollo – (Apollo in Latin) God of the sun, medicine, knowledge, music, and poetry**

**Demetria – Demeter (Ceres in Latin) Goddess of the harvest and seasons**

**Zeus – (Jupiter in Latin) King of the gods and god of the sky **

**Hera – (Juno in Latin) Queen of the gods and goddess of Marriage, women and birth**

**Morpheus – (Morpheus in Latin) god of dreams**

**Icelus – (couldn't find an accurate Latin variation) – god of nightmares**

**Artemis – (Diana in Latin) goddess of the hunt, wilderness, the moon**

**Priapus – (Mutunus Tutunus in Latin) minor god of fertility, gardens and male genitalia (he's also the reason you should call your doctor if you have an erection lasting longer than 3 hours…lol)**


	19. Apologies

**Spearit, I don't think you're annoying, I think you're _adorable_! You seem so energetic and excitable! **

xoxoxo

"So, do you feel like telling me what's wrong?" Blaine took his coffee from the barista, paid for it and tasted it. Smiling approvingly, he followed Kurt to their traditional table.

"Not really, but I will anyway." Kurt pulled out his seat and practically collapsed in it, doing is best to look like a pained starlet. "David has gone back to being a jock."

"I didn't know he quit."

Kurt fidgeted with the insulation on his coffee cup, peeling off little pieces of the cardboard. "He didn't _quit_. He's always been on the football team, but he hasn't _acted_ like it for a while. He was like Finn or Mike: friendly and nice. But now he's back in with his _old_ friends. They don't want him hanging out with me anymore."

Blaine nodded understandingly. "How did David respond to their request?"

"I have no bodyguard any longer. He won't be seen with me at school, but it's 'ok' because he still wants to be my friend." Kurt put on a sneer for the second half of his statement, obviously holding David's words in contempt.

"So…did he give you any explanation or anything?"

"He wants to have friends again. At school, he can either hang out with _me_ or with the jocks. Not both. And he picked wrong." Kurt sipped his coffee delicately, looking sadly down at it as he placed it back on the table. "Maybe _I_ should have offered him the ultimatum. Maybe _that_ way I would have won. Or at least I would have had _some_ control in the situation."

"You still have control in the situation; you have the power to choose what happens now. And not only that, but you have one distinct advantage over the jocks." Kurt looked incredulously at Blaine. _"You_ didn't give him the ultimatum. Eventually he'll realize that _you're_ his real friend, the one that'll stick by him no matter what. But in order for him to _realize_ that, you'll need to prove it. Stick by him even if you're pissed at him."

"I am not surrendering here."

"Doesn't sound like surrendering to me; it sounds like fighting. Sitting in a coffee shop with your ex-boyfriend and bemoaning the loss of your "dream guy," _that_ sounds like surrendering to me: like you've accepted his decision and your fate. Now, personally I think he's a total douche for this and for other reasons, but you seem to really like him. I don't get it, but if you like him as much as you seem to, you need to decide whether or not he's worth fighting for. If he won't hang out with you at school, pester the hell out of him _outside_ of school. Show him that you're the bigger man here."

"That's the stupidest advice you've ever given me…and you told me to confront a homophobic bully and try _reasoning_ with him. _That_ turned out real well."

Blaine smiled and downed the last of his coffee.

xoxoxo

When David made his appearance in Kurt's dream that night, Kurt folded his arms over his chest and turned his back to David.

Looking around, David didn't recognize the location of the current dream. They were in a pasture speckled with boulders; David had almost fallen over when he "landed" in the dream, half on the slope of a large boulder, half off of it. An endless field spread out in front of him and Kurt, bordered only by a sheer cliff on one side. Yet it was all a fuzzy mottling of green and some grey with frequent red circular blotches. Nothing was really well defined, making it quick and easy for David to take control of the dream. As he approached Kurt, the red spots immediately surrounding him became more and more detailed. It was a field of poppies.

"You like poppies?"

Kurt's head was down, looking at the flowers. "I dreamt I was in the _Wizard of Oz_. When I woke up in the poppies I was all alone. They left me; I was scared." David placed a hand on Kurt's shoulder, wrapping his other arm around Kurt's chest. After a tense moment, he could feel Kurt place his own hand over his forearm. "I don't mind too much, though. I love poppies. They're so simple and beautiful…c_lassy_."

"I like poppies, too. They remind me of "In Flanders Fields"…it's a poem about World War One." David leaned forward, brushing his lips over the back of Kurt's head, enjoying the feathery feel of Kurt's hair.

"I've learned a lot of surprising things about you in the past month. I would have associated the _old_ you with an interest in warfare. Not the new you. Although, to be fair, I think you're slipping back into the old you."

David shook his head. "Don't think like that, please. I'm sorry about today, but I'll never hurt you again…I'm not a bully; never again."

"But you _did_ hurt me. You hurt me a _lot_. Right now, I really don't like you."

Those words shot painfully through David's chest. Had Kurt screamed out "I hate you" or "I never want to see you again," it would have hurt less; David could just blame it on the heat of Kurt's anger. Instead, Kurt said it so calmly and resolutely that it was obvious he had thought it over. "I'm sorry. I love you Kurt, but…if that's how you feel. I understand." David stood back, feeling defeated. He wondered whether he should say anything else before he left.

"I don't like any of this." Kurt turned around and looked at David. "I'm falling in love with an illusion, while the real thing just...god I wanted to punch you _so_ bad today. You just made me so _mad_. And you don't even care, do you?"

"Of course I care! They told me they would guarantee your safety if I stopped hanging around you. Your safety means everything to me." David took a step towards Kurt, but immediately stopped, afraid of frightening him into a retreat.

"I don't _care_ if I'm safe. I'm safe when I'm with _you_."

David exhaled through flared nostrils, trying to keep himself from getting emotional. "You _aren't_ though, Kurt. They're starting to think I'm gay-"

"I don't give a _shit_ about that and neither should you!"

"If they think I'm gay, neither of us will be safe. You know what's worse than being gay in high school? Being gay and _advertising_ the fact by having a boyfriend. We'll turn into walking targets for every jock, cheerio, jerk and loser at McKinley."

Kurt didn't bother pointing out that they _weren't_ dating and neither had given any hint to the other that they wanted to, yet…at least, _outside_ the dreams. "Been there, done that. I…don't…care."

David's assurance crumbled; he had been so certain Kurt would see reason. "_I do_. I spent my entire childhood trying to either…either stay under the radar or _fit in._ Being with the jocks gave me a chance to not only fit in but also be popular. I'm not ready to go back to being a loser. I just can't." David shrunk down to his knees, his hands folded in his lap, his chin against his chest in supplication.

"So you admit that this is about _you_. You aren't doing this to protect me; you're just protecting yourself." It was a simple statement of fact: he was starting to understand some of David's reasoning. Kurt approached him slowly and tentatively ran his fingers through David's hair. His hair was longer in Kurt's dreams; he could easily tangle his fingers in it if he wanted. He had a thing for longer hair, especially with sweet, wavy little curls like David's. Lightly gripping David's hair, Kurt tilted his head back, forcing him to look him in the eye. It was uncomfortable and made David feel ill at ease to make eye contact like that when he was feeling so broken, but if that's what Kurt wanted, he couldn't deny such a small request. "I'm really mad at real-world you right now." Kurt ran his fingertips down David's cheek. "It'll take a miracle for me to not be mad at real-world you for a while. But _this_ you, this you is _mine_. I like _this_ you. I don't want to stop dreaming about you. I just…wish the real you were like this."

"What if this _is_ the real me? What if the coward in the real world is the illusion?"

Kurt slowly lowered himself to his knees so that he was at eye level with David. "You have no idea how much I wish that were true." Kurt leaned in and pressed his lips to David's.

xoxoxo

**Those we've met so far:**

**David – son of Hades and Persephone**

**Paul – Hades (Pluto in Latin), god of the underworld and wealth (the Greeks believed that since precious jewels and metals came from underground that they were part of Hades realm)**

**Sophie – Persephone/Kore (Proserpina in Latin), goddess of spring and queen of the underworld**

**Aaron – Eros (Cupid in Latin), god of love**

**Sarah – Psyche (Psyche in Latin), goddess of the soul**

**Homer – an old rat David befriended in the Underworld**

**Aphrodite – (Venus in Latin) Goddess of love and beauty**

**Hermes – (Mercury in Latin) Messenger of the gods and escort of souls to the Underworld**

**Apollo – (Apollo in Latin) God of the sun, medicine, knowledge, music, and poetry**

**Demetria – Demeter (Ceres in Latin) Goddess of the harvest and seasons**

**Zeus – (Jupiter in Latin) King of the gods and god of the sky **

**Hera – (Juno in Latin) Queen of the gods and goddess of Marriage, women and birth**

**Morpheus – (Morpheus in Latin) god of dreams**

**Icelus – (couldn't find an accurate Latin variation) – god of nightmares**

**Artemis – (Diana in Latin) goddess of the hunt, wilderness, the moon**

**Priapus – (Mutunus Tutunus in Latin) minor god of fertility, gardens and male genitalia (he's also the reason you should call your doctor if you have an erection lasting longer than 3 hours…lol)**


	20. Insecure

Having his "mommy" help him get dressed in the morning was one of the most embarrassing things he had ever suffered through. His mother was very indulgent of him however, so he tended to regress into a whiny baby when she was coddling him. "Ow, ow, OW!" Sophie began shushing her son calmly and soothingly like she had when he was a fussy infant. "Can't we just have Apollo heal me and be done with it?"

Once she had gotten his sore arm through his sleeve, she started buttoning up the front of the shirt. "Hush, baby boy. You know things would look strange if you miraculously healed overnight." Flipping her brunette ponytail over her shoulder, Sophie put her arms around David's waist and began tucking his shirt into his pants.

David jumped back in mortified shock. "Mooo-ooom! Boundaries! And no one has to _know_ it's healed. I'll keep the sling on; this way it just won't hurt anymore."

Sophie grabbed the back of David's head and forced him to lean forward so she could peck him on the nose. "Your dad and I decided you would have a _normal_ childhood. If we want you to be a well adjusted, empathetic adult, you need to truly understand the way humans feel. They're so much more sensitive and delicate than we are. You need to experience that."

David pouted, "Can't I not and say I did?"

Sophie smiled indulgently and petted her son's hair. "Do you _want_ to grow up without any care for anyone but yourself? Like your cousins? It took them _centuries…_sometimes millennia_…_to mature and start thinking of people other than themselves. You're only seventeen, almost eighteen, and you're already so much more mature than any of them were when they were _hundreds_ of years old."

David sat down on his bed so his mom could help him with his shoes and socks. He could probably do most, if not all, of this by himself, but after he hurt his arm his mother quite literally jumped at the opportunity to baby him, again. "I don't _feel_ mature, or grown up. I feel like a scared little kid. I'm always scared of what people think of me."

"You get that from your father. Paul's almost always been pre-occupied with what people think about him. He has good reason though; he's the god of the Underworld; of course people are going to have _very_ strong feelings about him. You, on the other hand? You're the god of kitty cats and puppy dogs and tweety birds. How can anyone _not_ love you?"

"I'm also the god of bugs and vermin and parasites and pests. How can anyone _not _hate me? Besides, no one at school has any idea what I am. As far as they're concerned, I'm just a socially awkward loser whose only talent in life is body-slamming the opposing team on the gridiron. I just want people to like me."

Sophie sat down on the bed beside David, delicately draping her arm across David's shoulders. "We've been having these conversations since you were in elementary school, David. You're different and special, and that scares them. They know that they're all a bunch of sheep; each of them is exactly the same as the other. They don't like knowing that someone might actually rise above them, _go_ somewhere in life." David leaned his head against his mother's shoulder. Kurt had said something similar about himself a while ago. It was one of the things that first attracted David to Kurt: how unique and confident he was. He didn't care that others wanted nothing better than to drag him down and break him. He was like a lily in a garden overrun with crab grass.

xoxoxo

Kurt's reaction to seeing David at school was basically the same as in the previous dream; he turned his back on him and pretended he wasn't there. Unlike the dream, David couldn't approach Kurt to comfort him, both because he was with some of the jocks and because Kurt started walking away (well, it _looked_ more like prancing, but David wasn't going to call it that) as they approached.

Throughout the week, every time Kurt caught sight of David, he very intentionally threw his chin up and either glared David down, or pointedly ignored him. Every _night_ David held Kurt and reassured him of his affections. Each night, Kurt would gripe for a while about how upset he was with real-world Dave. David would apologize profusely on behalf of his "alter-ego" and swear to Kurt that one day he would no longer be afraid of what other people thought of him.

When Kurt was fully appeased each night, David would allow himself to be made over like he was Kurt's personal mannequin. Ever since real-world Dave had informed Kurt of his interest in changing his appearance, Kurt had come up with loads of different fashions for David. Once Kurt grew bored of that (which usually took a _long_ time), David would serenade Kurt, or they would duet. It often took half the dream for them to find a song that they both knew, so sometimes David would relinquish _just enough_ of the dream for Kurt to control David's singing.

But each day, when they saw each other at school, Kurt returned to being cold and distant while David returned to being a coward.

Saturday morning, David couldn't take it anymore and went over to Kurt's house. Kurt opened his front door sluggishly after hearing the doorbell. His eyes widened when he saw David standing on his front stoop. "What are you _doing_ here? If my dad catches you he'll kill you!"

David shrugged. "At this point, I don't care anymore. The plants are looking nice, by the way." David nodded down towards the two barrel-planters on either side of the front stairs. "Besides, how will your dad know, if you don't tell him? Hummel Tire and Lube is open nine to one on Saturdays, Finn's at a football game and Carol went to watch. She always goes to Saturday games since she doesn't have work."

Kurt pushed the front door open, allowing David room to pass. "It disturbs me how much you know about our schedules. What do you want?"

"You know what I want, Kurt. I want to be your friend again. I hate you being mad at me." Kurt led David through the living room and into the kitchen where a cup of coffee sat neglected on the counter.

"I'm not ready to accept your apologies. Want a cup?" Kurt lifted his cup of coffee to show it to David.

"Um…sure, why not?"

"We have one of those Keurig things. What type do you want?" Kurt spun a little contraption on the counter that vaguely resembled a rotating spice rack containing dozens on little coffee flavorings.

David watched as the display rack turned, showing off the different options. "I'll have…Oh! Dunkin Donuts. I'll take that one." Kurt snorted as he removed the little cup. David could distinctly hear Kurt mutter _philistine_ under his breath. "If you don't like it, why have it?"

Inserting the cup and placing a fresh mug into the machine, Kurt started everything up. "Because my father and Finn have absolutely _no_ taste. Hot sauce, beef jerky and soda have slaughtered every taste bud in their mouths, rendering them incapable of distinguishing quality from _swill_." Kurt handed David his "swill" and pulled out a creamer and the sugar bowl.

Declining both, David sat himself at the island countertop in the middle of the kitchen. "Kurt, I know you don't want to accept my apologies, but you _have_ to realize I truly _am_ sorry."

"If you were '_truly'_ sorry, you would stand up to your so-called 'friends.'" Kurt sat down opposite David and wrapped his fingers around his mug.

David wondered briefly if it was strange to be attracted to someone's _fingers_. They were graceful and thin and delicate. "I _am_ truly sorry, but I'm a coward Kurt. If you've learned anything about me in the past year, it should have been that. When I kissed you, when you and Blaine confronted me, when I danced in glee club, when we were voted prom king and queen: I'm just _always_ terrified."

Kurt stared down into his coffee. He briefly congratulated his sub-conscious on correctly guessing _why_ David had abandoned him, still unaware that his dreams were anything more than a creation of his over-active imagination and a psychological analysis of his relationship with David. "I appreciate that you're afraid, but as far as I'm concerned, you made your choice."

"Please, Kurt. You're so much _stronger_ than I am. I made a _huge_ mistake, but if I tried changing things now, I would be destroyed by the jocks. I made a deal with the devil; I realize that now. But you're an _angel_, can't you just…have a little _faith_?"

"Sweet." Kurt's deadpanned statement gave David no room to guess his feelings towards his confession. Kurt slouched back in his seat, eyeing David's pitiful appearance across the table. David had changed a _lot_ in the past year: more than anyone could have predicted. Kurt flattered himself that it was mostly, if not all his doing. Sure, Santana had forced him into Bully Whips, but he only put up with it because Kurt did his best to make the experience as painless as possible. He'd be damned if all his hard work was for naught. "You and I? We're back to square one. We are not friends; we are not enemies. I will… _consider_ 'hanging out' with you outside of school, but don't expect _anything_. I'll think about things for a few days, than get back to you on it. And _if_ I end up give you a second chance, you will have to do a _lot_ to prove that you're worth my time."

David's face lit up. Kurt was surprised at how easy he was to please. "Thank you so much." David lowered his head so that his forehead was pressed to the countertop. "I promise you, you will not regret this." David sat back up and smiled at Kurt.

Sometimes it was really hard for Kurt to remember that dream-David and real-David were different people. Forgetting _just_ how angry he was at David he smiled back at him and started daydreaming of all the fun ways he could get David to show how sorry he was. "So, I see your sling is gone?"

xoxoxo

**Those we've met so far:**

**David – son of Hades and Persephone**

**Paul – Hades (Pluto in Latin), god of the underworld and wealth (the Greeks believed that since precious jewels and metals came from underground that they were part of Hades realm)**

**Sophie – Persephone/Kore (Proserpina in Latin), goddess of spring and queen of the underworld**

**Aaron – Eros (Cupid in Latin), god of love**

**Sarah – Psyche (Psyche in Latin), goddess of the soul**

**Homer – an old rat David befriended in the Underworld**

**Aphrodite – (Venus in Latin) Goddess of love and beauty**

**Hermes – (Mercury in Latin) Messenger of the gods and escort of souls to the Underworld**

**Apollo – (Apollo in Latin) God of the sun, medicine, knowledge, music, and poetry**

**Demetria – Demeter (Ceres in Latin) Goddess of the harvest and seasons**

**Zeus – (Jupiter in Latin) King of the gods and god of the sky **

**Hera – (Juno in Latin) Queen of the gods and goddess of Marriage, women and birth**

**Morpheus – (Morpheus in Latin) god of dreams**

**Icelus – (couldn't find an accurate Latin variation) – god of nightmares**

**Artemis – (Diana in Latin) goddess of the hunt, wilderness, the moon**

**Priapus – (Mutunus Tutunus in Latin) minor god of fertility, gardens and male genitalia (he's also the reason you should call your doctor if you have an erection lasting longer than 3 hours…lol)**


	21. Dressed to Impress

"Ok, so what's the emergency?" Blaine wrapped his scarf around his neck, tightening it against the early October chill as he sat down on a bench, next to Kurt, in Dalton's courtyard. Kurt had insisted that he positively _had_ to see him, right that minute.

"I need your advice about the whole 'Dave situation.'"

Blaine rolled his eyes. "I've _told_ you what I think. If you really think he's worth it, fight for him, prove that you're worth more than a whole school's worth of jocks. If not, fuck it. Tell him to screw."

"But _how_ do I know if he's worth it?"

Blaine chuckled. "Aw. The king of romance doesn't know how to tell if love is worth fighting for? That's just sad." Kurt leveled a warning glare a Blaine. "First of all, you need to ask yourself if the reward is worth the work. How happy do you think this relationship is capable of making you and is it worth the heartache of having to see him through his…" Blaine looked up, searching the clouds for the right word, "…dickhead-ish-ness."

Kurt nodded, agreeing completely, so far. "How do I know what to expect of my happiness in the relationship since we haven't _had_ one, yet?"

"Part two: you need to look at how he makes you feel _now_, him being the horribly flawed human being that he is. Let's face it, you've seen him at his worse, right now he's kinda in the middle. He has a lot of potential. Unless you're really into assholes or something, which I really hope isn't the case considering you were into _me, _the escalation in your attraction and enjoyment of him should be roughly proportionate to his growth as a self-actualized person. In other words, tell me why the hell are you so hung up on him?" Blaine leaned towards Kurt, his legs crossed at the knees, his hands nicely folded over his knees, his body angled towards Kurt.

"I always forget your mother is a psychologist." Blaine shrugged. He didn't want to follow in his mother's footsteps by any means, but he _did_ enjoy helping people: empowering them. Kurt searched through his memories of David, weeding out those that were dreams or those that were of David in "the before time," back when he was a bully. He thought back to how David made him feel whenever they were together. "I don't really feel _giddy_ around him, like I did with you and Finn. I do feel warm, though. _Safe_. I like talking to him; even when all he has to say is inane or uninteresting, he still makes me _want_ to listen. Hell, even when we're arguing I still want to hear what he has to say."

"So you respect him as a person?"

"Definitely, but it's more than that. Even when we're _not_ talking I still feel a little fluffy around him."

"Fluffy?"

"Not to sound too cliché or anything but, you know, light-headed and like everything's soft and comfy in the world."

Blaine groaned. "That's cloying, even for you."

"Shut up." Kurt smiled and swatted at Blaine's leg.

"What the hell do the two of you have in common?"

"Well…we both like mythology. He actually got me into it…kind of. And he's really sensitive towards animals, which I find adorable. And his mother is a gardener, so he's got an amazing green thumb. He works in his dad's jewelry store, so he knows his way around fun, sparkly stuff. He's mentioned that he _loves_ to cook. He used to play hockey, which I suppose means he knows how to skate, and I _love_ ice-skating. And he's surprisingly well groomed with impeccable hygiene, even if he's an absolute _slob _around the house."

Blaine nodded, his eyes partially rolled upwards as he considered Kurt's response. "Ok, so at least you have things that you can do _together_, aside from watching your television shows or listening to music or whatnot. What about things you _don't_ agree on?"

Homer instantly popped into Kurt's head, although he was fine with that so long as Dave didn't try shoving Homer in his face or letting him run loose while Kurt was around. "He's a math geek…but that's _good_ because he tutors me. He has _zero_ fashion sense, but who knows? Maybe he'll let _me_ tutor _him_. He really likes sports, but because of my dad I can _definitely_ look past that. I think our biggest obstacle is that he's very much an introverted personality. He likes being on his own, while I'm a big people-person."

"He's an introvert? Wasn't this whole thing about his desire to have more friends?"

Kurt sighed, "You see, it's not that he wants _friends_, so much as he wants protection. He doesn't want to be picked on, or made fun of. Honestly, I think he'd be happier if he were invisible…but hanging out with _me_ kind of wrecks his chances of that."

"I don't think the introvert thing will be a problem for you two." Kurt crinkled his eyes in confusion, so Blaine elaborated. "He's probably a home-body, I'm guessing?" Kurt nodded. "That's fine. You don't like guys tagging along with you anyway while you go out with the girls. He can be home, being happy on his own, while you go shopping with the girls. You get your social atmosphere; he gets calm and quite."

Kurt snickered. "You make it sound like we're a married couple."

"Well, no offense Kurt, but you're acting like you're debating whether or not to marry the guy. You're investing in a _relationship_, not an 'I do.'"

xoxoxo

When David had told Kurt that his father owned a jewelry shop, Kurt had pictured one of those smaller jewelry stores that you generally see in the center of a mall. What Kurt _hadn't_ expected was a spacious building with probably a greater square footage than his own house. Five equally gorgeous women, each looking to be in her mid-twenties to early thirties, milled about the store performing their various duties. One, a swarthy woman with long, straight black hair and swarthy skin, greeted Kurt at the front door. "Welcome to Olivine, is there anything particular I can help you with today?"

She had a pleasant, unassuming air about her. Usually, when Kurt went to jewelry stores, the staff either ignored him or smiled at him condescendingly. Most higher-end stores expected little but trouble of teenaged boys. Had he discovered this store earlier, it would have been his first and last stop for all his brooch, necklace and bracelet needs; but, being outside of Lima, he had never stumbled upon it. "I'm looking for David Karofsky?"

She nodded at him. "Just a moment." Eumelia, one of the nymphs who worked at Olivine, left Kurt standing by the front display case: a class counter top filled with shiny bobbles that were more recent arrivals in the store. "Paul? There is a young man here looking for David."

Paul looked up from where he had been examining a diamond purchased from a divorcee earlier that day. Surveying the store, he spotted Kurt almost immediately. "Thank you, Melly." Kurt was so preoccupied drooling over some Patek Phillipe pocket watches that he didn't notice Paul approaching. "Hello, Kurt. I didn't expect to see you here."

Kurt started when Paul shocked him out of his adoration. "Oh, hello, Mr. Karofsky. I'm here to talk to David. He wasn't home and I don't have his cell phone number."

"Please, Kurt, call me 'Paul.' David isn't in trouble is he?"

"Oh, no." _Not_ _too much_, Kurt thought to himself. "I just have to talk to him about something we discussed the other day."

Paul looked around real quick at the other customers in the shop to make sure they were out of earshot. He leaned towards Kurt conspiratorially. "I know he's gay now. It's ok. If you two are having 'issues' you two can feel free to talk to me."

Kurt smiled; Paul was blushing faintly and looked uncomfortable. "No, David and I aren't dating or anything. We're friends and I'm having issues with some of his _other_ friends that he and I are trying to figure out." Paul nodded, but Kurt couldn't help notice he looked somewhat…_disappointed? _"You have a lovely store, Mr .Kar – _Paul_. What does the name mean?"

Paul strode over towards one of the display cases and gestured for Kurt to follow. _"Olivine_ is another name for peridot. It's Sophie's birthstone." Kurt bent over the display case to look at the translucent green stones set into earrings, rings, pins, brooches, and necklaces. "Green is also her favorite color. Plus, the name just _sounds _nice."

Kurt agreed. They were lovely, if simple gems, albeit not enough "zazz" for Kurt's taste. "Is David working here today? He told me he wasn't at the nursery anymore this season since he's useless, being unable to do any heavy lifting."

"Yes, he's in the back office processing some orders for Antwerp…Antwerp is to diamonds what Wall Street is to stock, or Holland is to tulips." As Kurt followed Paul towards the office, he didn't bother to inform Paul he was already aware of Antwerp's reputation as being the diamond capital of the world. Paul knocked on the door and waited for David to respond. "The door _always_ needs to be locked on this side for security reasons. It's just easier that way."

A moment later, David cracked the door and poked his head out. "Yeah?...Oh, Kurt. Hey."

"Hey Dave. I've done some thinking and needed to talk to you." David fiddled with the hem of his suit as he leaned against the doorframe.

"I'll just…leave you to it." Paul went back to his earlier work, occasionally looking back at Kurt and David as he returned to the service desk. David pushed the door open and waved Kurt in.

Kurt entered into the office and looked around. It was a stark contrast to the rest of the store: the lighting was typical, migraine-inducing fluorescent bulbs; the two large desks were cluttered with paperwork, pens, pencils, and computer equipment; and the shelving alternated between storing file folders of what was (hopefully) important documentation and what appeared to be McDonald's toys. Kurt looked at a small figurine of Mickey Mouse's dog Pluto and frowned in disgust when he saw the build up of dust around it.

"Yeah…the girls sometimes clean in here, but other than that…" David's voice trailed off as he scratched guiltily at the back of his neck.

Kurt decided to just ignore the grossness in there for now. "You look different in a suit. It looks very nice on you."

David looked down at himself, to double check what he was wearing. He had several suits and usually selected his daily attire randomly. This particular one was a deep grey, just shy of being black, with a lilac dress shirt and matching tie. "It damn well better be." David let out a soft chuckle. "When my dad was certain I was done with my growth spurts he flew me out to get it professionally made and tailored for me." Along with his other suits, but David didn't feel the need to mention that part.

"Classy. Do you know the brand?"

David frowned. He knew the answer, but couldn't pull it out of his head quick it enough. "It's…Harry…no, Henry…yeah, Henry Poole. Henry Poole and Company."

Kurt had been fondling the lapel admiringly but when the name settled into his brain his hand froze. "Henry _Poole_? Where did your dad take you to get it done?"

David blushed. His family was exceptionally well off (of course it was, his father's second domain was as the god of wealth), but he hated showing off any of his parent's money. "Um…London."

"You had a suit made by Henry _Poole_ at Savile Row?"

"Yes? I mean…is that good?"

Kurt scoffed, amazed that anyone could not know Henry Poole or what Savile Row implied. "Have you ever seen the movie _Annie_?" David nodded skittishly; Kurt was a bit too enthusiastic about this for David's comfort. "There's a song in it called 'You're Never Fully Dressed Without a Smile.' Do you know that song, David?" Again, David nodded slowly. "In that song, there's a particular verse:

Who cares what they're wearing

On Main Street or Savile Row?

It's what you wear from ear to ear

And not from head to toe

That Matters

David restrained himself from smiling too goofily at Kurt's singing. It didn't matter if he was just trying to prove some point; Kurt was singing to _Dave_! "It's a juxtaposition: Main Street is supposed to mean common, everyday Depression Era clothing. _Savile Row_ is the upper-echelon of everything that was fashionable at the time: the complete opposite of the common-wear. Savile Row is where the highest in the fashion food chain have their suits made. _Henry Poole_ was the lynchpin of the whole damn street almost two hundred years ago." Kurt allowed his hand to hover reverently over the fabric; well aware it may be a long time before he ever came so close to something so precious again. "David, you're wearing a custom-made suit, a _bespoken_ suit, made by the same company that makes suits for _royalty_."

David shrugged, uncomfortable with the attention his _suit_ was getting. "Yeah well, I could have gotten the same comfort level from Men's Warehouse."

Kurt's eyes went wide. "Blasphemy!" At David's 'you're-kidding-me-right?' expression, they both started laughing.

"So…I thought we were here to talk about… _other_ things." David perched himself on the edge of the desk, one leg propping him up, the other slung over the corner of the desk.

"Yes…we are." Now that Kurt was no longer distracted by expensive, shiny things or really nice, custom-made, soft things, he remembered just how important this conversation was. "I've thought about what you said. And what I said. And everything that has happened between the two of us. I've thought _long_ and hard and even consulted Blaine." David felt his stomach drop; his fate was in the hands of poodle-boy? "I know you've dug yourself in deep by getting back in with the jocks, but…I've decided that I'm willing to give you a second chance." David practically fell off the desk he was so surprised and elated. "But, you really need to prove yourself to me, this time. And I get that it's going to take you a while before you're comfortable enough with _yourself_ to associate with me at school, but if I don't see any genuine attempt at progress, I will kick you to the side of the curb, mister."

Kurt tried to come off looking stern, but instead looked tiny and cute to David. Rushing over to Kurt, David wrapped his arms around him and squeezed.

**xoxoxo**

**Those we've met so far:**

**David – son of Hades and Persephone**

**Paul – Hades (Pluto in Latin), god of the underworld and wealth (the Greeks believed that since precious jewels and metals came from underground that they were part of Hades realm)**

**Sophie – Persephone/Kore (Proserpina in Latin), goddess of spring and queen of the underworld**

**Aaron – Eros (Cupid in Latin), god of love**

**Sarah – Psyche (Psyche in Latin), goddess of the soul**

**Homer – an old rat David befriended in the Underworld**

**Aphrodite – (Venus in Latin) Goddess of love and beauty**

**Hermes – (Mercury in Latin) Messenger of the gods and escort of souls to the Underworld**

**Apollo – (Apollo in Latin) God of the sun, medicine, knowledge, music, and poetry**

**Demetria – Demeter (Ceres in Latin) Goddess of the harvest and seasons**

**Zeus – (Jupiter in Latin) King of the gods and god of the sky **

**Hera – (Juno in Latin) Queen of the gods and goddess of Marriage, women and birth**

**Morpheus – (Morpheus in Latin) god of dreams**

**Icelus – (couldn't find an accurate Latin variation) – god of nightmares**

**Artemis – (Diana in Latin) goddess of the hunt, wilderness, the moon**

**Priapus – (Mutunus Tutunus in Latin) minor god of fertility, gardens and male genitalia (he's also the reason you should call your doctor if you have an erection lasting longer than 3 hours…lol)**


	22. Friends and Favors

**YAY! The return of Dave is upon us (he's in the episode where we meet Blaine's brother).**

xoxoxo

"Is this supposed to be a comma or a semicolon?" David pushed his essay over towards Kurt for his editorial perusal.

"Neither. It's supposed to be a colon. How the hell did you get to the twelfth grade not knowing basic punctuation?" Kurt started looking over the rest of David's work, marking it up as he did so. Since their meeting at Olivine, Kurt and David had been meeting up at David's house three times a week, for the last two weeks, to do their homework together. It was always very professional…or at least that's what Kurt tried for. But David was just so easy to be around that occasionally they were a bit friendlier than Kurt was proud of. How did he expect to teach David a lesson when there was no punishment for his transgressions?

On the contrary, the more Kurt let him in, the more David wanted and the more he was willing to sacrifice in order to get it. David desperately wanted to find a way to go back to the way things were before, but, as they say, you can't go back. Had he never accepted Azimio's offer, everything would have been fine, but now, if he were to go back on his agreement with Az, everyone would know why, and try as he might, David couldn't get up the courage to out himself just yet. "Just because I don't know how to use a bunch of dots, doesn't make me dumb. I have…_other_ areas of expertise that more than make up for it."

Kurt fought back the urge to say something inappropriate, unwilling to stoop to David's level of immaturity. "I've _yet_ to see any of these other so-called talents."

David placed his hand over his heart as though Kurt had struck him. "You offend me! You know full well I'm an expert at math, gardening, anything to do with husbandry."

Kurt blushed and swallowed deeply, flashing back to what Blaine had said about him acting like he was marrying David. "Husbandry?" He hadn't meant for his voice to squeak so much at the question.

"Yeah, you know, raising animals, taking care of them, training them?" Kurt's blush faded as he realized he was completely off base.

"Yes, well. All that's fine and well, you may _be_ intelligent, but it's hard to _appear_ intelligent when you can't communicate your thoughts eloquently." Kurt handed David's paper back to him, covered in red scribbles.

"Yeah, well. Pfft." David blew a raspberry at Kurt as he took his paper back, frowning when he saw all the errors. Kurt took his pencil and thwacked David on the head with it.

"Very grown-up, Dave." Kurt closed up his math book and pulled out his French homework. When they had their little study "dates," Kurt made sure to do his math first so he could lean on David for help while David did his English homework first for the same reason. "So…animal husbandry? Have you ever taught anyone else animal husbandry?"

"What do you mean? Grooming? Feeding? Training? I'm not sure I've ever really _tried_." David recopied his essay onto a clean sheet of paper, making the changes Kurt had marked off. The use of colons versus semicolons seemed arbitrary to David, but he trusted Kurt's judgment.

"I mean like…_riding_."

David put his pencil down and looked up at Kurt. "You want to learn?" Kurt chewed his lip and nodded. "I've never _taught_ anyone before, but I can show you what I know." Kurt smiled, his eyes lit up. "We can't do it today, though. You need to wear something a bit more… _appropriate_." Kurt looked down at his skinny jeans, black and white plaid dress shirt, button-down white cardigan, and knee high patent leather boots. "You could probably keep the boots though."

xoxoxo

"Finn…favor?" Kurt stood in Finn's doorway as his stepbrother played some car game on his PlayStation.

Pausing the game, Finn turned his torso to face Kurt. "I'm _not_ going to ask Rachel to give you the solo. I'd like to have sex _some day_."

Kurt rolled his eyes. "Not _everything_ is about glee club, Finn." Finn stared at Kurt, one eyebrow threatening to retreat into his hairline it was raised so high. _"Most_ things are, but not _everything_. I kind of wanted to ask you a _personal_ favor." Kurt sat on the edge of Finn's bed, prompting Finn to move away from Kurt suspiciously. "I was hoping you could try to befriend Dave."

Not that Finn didn't _normally_ look confused, but he looked significantly more so at the moment. "Do you want me to try and get dirt on him or something?"

"What? No. David and I are friends."

Finn turned back to his game, unpausing it. "It doesn't _look_ like it. He's not even your bodyguard, anymore."

"Please, Finn. I'm confiding in you here." Finn, his curiosity peaked, paused the game again and gave Kurt his attention. "David and I _are_ friends, but…Azimio and Strando will wreck his reputation if he hangs out with me."

"No offense dude, but hanging with you _is _kind of reputation-suicide."

"Gee…thank, Finn. Anyway, Dave isn't _really_ friends with Azimio and Strando…he's just desperate for _some_ kind of friends. I figure if you start hanging out with him, he'll gain some confidence, knowing that he has friends, and he can start being himself. And you're such a _good_ friend, that I know if he was having some issues with peer pressure or the ramifications of not giving in to peer pressure, you'd stick by him. He _needs_ that." Kurt emphasized the part where Finn was a "good" friend, hoping to butter him up a bit with flattery.

It took Finn a minute to decode what Kurt had said, but when he did he shook his head. "Sometimes peer pressure is a _good_ thing, Kurt." Finn started laughing to himself like something funny had just occurred to him. "When we were in elementary school, Karofsky used to talk to squirrels." Kurt narrowed his eyes…something about that seemed off, and not just in the 'Dave needs psychological help' kind of way. Kurt could feel a little niggling sensation at the back of his brain, like there was something more significant to that information than just a lonely little boy trying to reach out. "During recess he'd sit at the edge of the playground and just talk to the squirrels. He was a complete nut-job. If kids hadn't teased him, he'd probably still be talking to squirrels. And I'm pretty sure that us teasing him in middle school is why he dropped so much weight. Dude was a porker."

"Finn! That's horrible! No one should feel the need to change for anyone but themselves! Did you think your teasing of me would turn me into a straight manly-man?" Kurt glared at Finn until Finn appeared cowed into feeling ashamed. "Please, just _try_ to make friends with him. He told me that after the Thriller half-time show last year you two were pretty cool with each other for a while."

Finn shrugged like it was nothing. "We were…for about half a second. Until he went back to being a douche and ragging on the glee club."

"Well he _isn't_ a douche anymore. You said so yourself to my dad. He's really trying to straighten his life out, but he has no friends to stand by him and support him. He needs to get some self-confidence and having a decent friend is the only way to really help him."

Finn shrugged, again. "I'll try. But the second he's an ass I'm out."

"Thank you, Finn!" Kurt wrapped his arms around Finn's neck. If David had half a brain, he'd jump at the chance to be friends with Finn.

xoxoxo

When Kurt got to his locker following fourth period, Mercedes was waiting for him. "Hey girl, what's going on?"

"I could ask you the same thing." Kurt cocked his head to the side as he attempted to unlock his locker one handed. "Why do you care so much about Karofsky, all of a sudden?"

Kurt felt his heart get heavy. _So much for 'confiding' in Finn_. "David and I are friends. I don't want to see him ruin his life by getting caught up with negative influences."

Mercedes put her hand on her hip, a look of pure attitude on her face. "I know the jocks are complete losers, but they aren't exactly drugs or alcohol. David's a big boy, he can take care of himself."

Kurt shook his head. "That's just it-" Cradling his books in his arms, he shut his locker with his elbow. "-David _can't_ take care of himself. He keeps letting himself get pressured into idiocy."

"Yeah, well, that's _his_ problem. If he's going to fall, let him do it on his own."

"Would you just stand by and let someone get hit by a car? Or get mugged? Or would you take action?"

"It's not the same thing, Kurt. He's making his _own_ choices here." Mercedes followed alongside Kurt to their social studies class.

"What if you knew someone was going to commit a crime? Or hurt themselves? _That's_ their own choice as well, but you _know_ you'd try to stop it."

Mercedes shook her head. "Kurt, you are _way_ too invested in this boy. It's almost like…" Mercedes stopped short and grabbed Kurt's arm, almost forcing him to drop his books. "Please for the love of god tell me you aren't crushing on this boy." Kurt opened his mouth, but nothing came out. His eyes went wide and he glanced nervously from side to side, trying to find an escape route of some kind. "Oh, Kurt. You have no idea how _dangerous_ that is. Think about what happened when Finn finally realized you were crushing on him? And he's a _reasonable_ person. What do you think's going to happen when a reformed homophobe finds out a _guy's_ got the hots for him? He's going to go straight off the deep end." Kurt started walking away from Mercedes, afraid of saying something stupid. "What the hell do you think is going to happen if Finn makes friends with Dave? That all of a sudden the boy's going to realize what an amazingly sexy person you are and suddenly change orientations?"

"No, Dave's my friend. It's not like that, 'Cedes. Look, I just want Finn to be his friend, so he doesn't have to be afraid of the other jocks teasing him all the time. Nothing more." When Mercedes didn't respond, Kurt turned around to look at her and found that she had stopped several feet back, her face far paler than it should be. "'Cedes?'" Kurt walked back to her, concerned; she looked like she'd seen something horrible.

"That's it, isn't it?" Kurt shook his head to demonstrate his lack of understanding. "He doesn't _have_ to change orientations, does he?" Kurt could feel the world crashing in around him as Mercedes lowered her voice. "He's gay, isn't he? _That's_ what all of this is about."

Shuffling his books under one arm, he grabbed Mercedes' hand with his free one. "Please…please…_please_, Mercedes. No one can know. He's terrified." Now it was Mercedes' turn to be speechless. "His dad knows, that's it. And even that _just barely_ went over well."

"Oh, Boo. You better know what you're getting yourself in to."

**xoxoxo**

**Those we've met so far:**

**David – son of Hades and Persephone**

**Paul – Hades (Pluto in Latin), god of the underworld and wealth (the Greeks believed that since precious jewels and metals came from underground that they were part of Hades realm)**

**Sophie – Persephone/Kore (Proserpina in Latin), goddess of spring and queen of the underworld**

**Aaron – Eros (Cupid in Latin), god of love**

**Sarah – Psyche (Psyche in Latin), goddess of the soul**

**Homer – an old rat David befriended in the Underworld**

**Aphrodite – (Venus in Latin) Goddess of love and beauty**

**Hermes – (Mercury in Latin) Messenger of the gods and escort of souls to the Underworld**

**Apollo – (Apollo in Latin) God of the sun, medicine, knowledge, music, and poetry**

**Demetria – Demeter (Ceres in Latin) Goddess of the harvest and seasons**

**Zeus – (Jupiter in Latin) King of the gods and god of the sky **

**Hera – (Juno in Latin) Queen of the gods and goddess of Marriage, women and birth**

**Morpheus – (Morpheus in Latin) god of dreams**

**Icelus – (couldn't find an accurate Latin variation) – god of nightmares**

**Artemis – (Diana in Latin) goddess of the hunt, wilderness, the moon**

**Priapus – (Mutunus Tutunus in Latin) minor god of fertility, gardens and male genitalia (he's also the reason you should call your doctor if you have an erection lasting longer than 3 hours…lol)**


	23. 20 Questions

"Why the hell did Finn ask if I wanted to go over to Puck's house to play _Left 4 Dead_ with them and Artie?"

"I don't know, maybe they needed another player?" Inwardly, Kurt smiled to himself as he rubbed his hand down Cyprus's muzzle, flinching back every time Cyprus moved. The quicker David built up a _real_ base of friends, the sooner he could just be himself. "Have you been a rider for long?"

David thought about that as he saddled up Mavro, careful not to strike the stallion's back or withers with the fender. "I've been riding Mavro and Cyprus with my parents' help since I was – four? five? – and solo since I was maybe seven or eight. They're kind of large for a kid to ride."

"So they're your parents' horses?"

Cinching up the billet strap, David began rubbing Mavro's hip. "My dad's technically, but he's been letting me take care of them for ages. Lygo is mine, though." As if on cue, Lygo leaned his shoulder against David's waist and extended his neck towards his father's, nipping softly at him. Mavro shook his head and neck, tossing his mane back and forth, before he lowered his head to nuzzle his baby.

"They're so precious. The only pet I've ever had was a canary named Pavarotti." Kurt couldn't remember if he had ever mentioned that to real-David. "It must be pretty neat to have horses."

David shrugged. "Livestock of _any_ kind is a lot of hard work, but if you really love them, it's worth it." David put the finishing touches on Mavro's tacking and opened up the pen, releasing the horses into the yard. Cyprus and Lygo walked past Kurt and David into the paddock, while David directed Kurt to Mavro's side. "Okay, put your hands on the saddle to brace yourself, then stick your left foot into the stirrup."

Kurt did as he was told, "Ok, now what?"

"Ok, now you want to put some weight into your hands; give yourself some leverage and lift yourself up, swinging your right leg forward and over." Once again, Kurt did as he was told, but almost overshot the saddle, prompting David to grab his shirt and steady him.

"Watch my clothes! These are expensive."

Rolling his eyes, David rubbed the side of Mavro's neck to sooth him before taking the reins. Lifting them, he handed them up to Kurt. "Ok, hold your hands like you're driving a car, open your fists." As Kurt mimed driving a car with open fists, David stuck the reins into his hands and instructed him to close his fists again.

"You know, if you were giving Finn horseback riding lessons, you would have had to inform him '_both_ hands.' He prefers driving one-handed, with his elbow resting in the open window."

David smiled before frowning. "Isn't his truck a stick shift?" Kurt nodded. "How the hell does he shift one-handed?

xoxoxo

Lygo and Cyprus followed Kurt, David and Mavro through the paddock as David instructed Kurt in the finer points of maintaining his seat and turning the horse. Even without godly influences, Mavro was a very steady steed; Paul had hand selected him as one of his chariot horses for that very reason. Mavro and Cypus were both docile and intelligent: good for pageantry and companionship.

Paul's other two horses, which remained in the Underworld, were passionate and fiery: good for striking fear into his enemies. They were what most people envisioned when they thought of the steeds of the Underworld.

"This is a lot easier than I thought it would be." Releasing one side of the reins, Kurt leaned forward and stroked Mavro's mane. Mavro threw his head back approvingly; he loved affection.

"Well, they've been domesticated thousands of years. They were a dominant mode of transportation in most civilizations until recently. I suppose it's almost instinct, now." Lygo cut David off, causing him to stop abruptly, startling Mavro.

Kurt jerked forward hitting himself against the pommel. "Ugh. I stand corrected."

"Lygo! Behave." Lygo lowered his head, his ears flattened back. Kurt "awed" at how cute he was. Lygo immediately perked up and began galloping and caprioling: jumping up and then kicking backwards. To Kurt, he looked frisky and playful. To David, he looked like an attention whore.

xoxoxo

Kurt wasn't up for equestrian lessons for the next few days: too sore to walk, let alone ride. There were more than a few rude remarks at school. David found himself apologizing profusely to Kurt again; he hadn't even thought about how sore Kurt would be after his first time riding.

The week after Halloween, David made them both grilled chicken salads for an early, light dinner. He'd be rejoining the football team the following Monday, so he was trying to make good on the time he had with Kurt before his life got too hectic to see him much…Outside the dreams, that is. He set both salads down on the coffee table in the living room. "So, since we've been doing so well getting to know each other all over again, would you like to play twenty questions?" Kurt picked up his salad and checked over the poultry; he wasn't accustomed to men that knew how to properly cook.

David cocked his head to the side; "You mean like, 'am I bigger than a bread box?' That kind of twenty questions?"

Kurt shook his head, that wasn't the type of game he'd been thinking of. "No, as in I ask you a question, you ask me a question. We get to know each other."

Around a mouthful of lettuce, David murmured his agreement. "Thounz lie fun."

"So…something I've been wondering: when's your birthday?"

"December fourteenth, 1993."

Kurt ran through the math real quickly to confirm his initial suspicion. "You're _younger_ than me?"

"Well, when's your birthday?"

"August twentieth, 1993. That makes me four months older than you."

"Huh. I guess it does. My turn?" Kurt nodded. "Where's your favorite vacation spot?"

Kurt put a piece of chicken in his mouth to give himself a moment to think about it. "I…like…Disney World. It's so…"

"Magical?" David supplied. "I think I like Disney World the best, too. Animal Kingdom is incredible."

"I would have thought you'd be against zoos."

David shook his head. "Not really. Most do a lot more good than harm; think about how many animals are on the verge of extinction because of the depravity of humans. Zoos help keep that from happening by protecting them; plus many of them are research facilities that help us learn as much as we can about them in order to help them."

"Are you going to be a veterinarian some day?"

David snorted at that. "Yeah, right. I'd come home crying from work everyday…what do _you_ want to be when you grow up?"

Kurt thought about it for a minute. _"Ideally,_ I'd like to perform on Broadway. If not, I think I'd be very happy doing anything with fashion or interior design."

"Fashion? So you mean that Lady Gaga thing you wore wasn't a joke or something?" Kurt glared at David as he crunched on his lettuce; he was like the most menacing rabbit David had ever seen. "Ok…next question. What religion are you?" He'd been wondering about that for a while. Dating a pagan god in your dreams was one thing, but if Kurt was Southern Baptist, Evangelical, _Puritan_…things might get a bit dicey when he revealed himself to Kurt someday.

Kurt thought about that a minute. "Interesting question. I think…well, I would have said atheist last year. Right now…" Kurt thought about his strange near-death encounter he had had over the summer. "I think I'm more…open-minded now. You? I'm assuming with the name Karofsky you'd be Russian orthodox?"

"Nyet. Organized religion is the enemy of the proletariat citizen. Russia was still a communist nation when my dad left." His family always presented itself as being atheistic when asked. It was easier than explaining their reverence for the Dodekathon or pretending to worship a capital-G "God" that they had yet to see evidence of in thousands of years. And Paul really _had_ lived in Russia for a good part of the twentieth century, so it wasn't a lie. David lowered his face into his bowl and licked up the remaining dressing.

Kurt forbade himself from making a disgusted face at David's table manners and instead decided to equate David with the Beast from "Beauty and the Beast." So your dad's a first generation citizen? I never would have guessed. His accent is amazing."

David panicked for a moment, wondering if he accidentally revealed too much. No one had ever really questioned him on things before…If the questioning went on too long he was afraid he wouldn't be able to keep his story straight. "Um. Yeah, well…he was younger when he moved…How does it feel living with Hudson?"

Kurt pursed his lips to the side, and thought about that one…how to say it without being mean? "It's like living with your livestock, I imagine, albeit your goats are probably cleaner…and smell less. The noise and food consumption is about the same, though." David smiled at that as he put his empty salad bowl aside. "What one pet would you want that you don't already have?"

David clacked his teeth together as he thought. "Skunk."

Kurt scooted away from David. "Ew, ew, ew. That's a hundred times worse than a rat."

Used to Kurt's aversion to Homer by now, David let it go. "They're amazing animals. They look like cats but act like dogs and have the combined personalities of dogs and cats. They're extremely affectionate, intelligent, curious, playful…need I go on?"

"I'll pretend I didn't hear _any_ of that. Which celebrity would you date, if you could?"

"First of all…I think it's _my_ turn to ask a question. Second of all…I think probably Orlando Bloom. During his Legolas years, of course."

"I'd say Taylor Lautner."

David sneered at that. "And you said "eww" to skunks. What's your favorite movie?"

"Hands down _The Sound of Music_. I absolutely _adore_ Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer."

"Yeah, I like that movie, too. Christopher Plummer is fuckin' hot." Kurt blushed at that; glad he wasn't the only one who thought so. "But I totally would have done it with Rolfe."

Kurt blushed even harder as he inadvertently pictured it, until it occurred to him who 'Rolfe' was, "You'd sleep with a treacherous, Nazi bastard?"

"Well not _him_ exactly. But the actor that played him was smoking." Kurt couldn't disagree with that. "My favorite movie is _Jurassic Park_. What's your favorite song?"

"It's _my_ turn."

"You _stole_ my turn."

"Fine…I would say…anything Broadway of course, Lady Gaga's "Born This Way_"_, and Katy Perry's "Hot 'n Cold_"_. You?"

"I'm _really_ glad you picked three, 'cause there's no way I could pick one: John Williams' "Theme from Jurassic Park," Michael Kamen's "Mutant School," and Carl Orf's "O Fortuna."

Kurt furrowed his brows. "Don't know it; don't know it; don't know it."

"I can get you not knowing Michael Kamen's "Mutant School," the bells in it are the most beautiful thing you will ever hear, though. And I guarantee you know "O Fortuna;" it's in eighty billion different movies, television shows, and commercials, most people just don't know its name. But how can you not know the "Theme from Jurassic Park?"

"Because I don't care for monster movies?"

"It is _not_ a 'monster movie.' It's a cautionary tale about what happens when humans try to fuck with nature and play god."

"Those songs are all instrumentals, aren't they?"

"The John Williams' one and the Michael Kamen one are, yes."

Kurt leaned back on the couch, tucking his bare feet up under him. "I never cared for instrumentals. They seem half-assed to me: like someone was too lazy or cheap to create lyrics for it."

"That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard. Sometimes there _are_ no words."

Kurt looked at his nails coyly, enjoying egging David on. "Just because you can't _think_ of the words, doesn't mean that there _aren't_ any."

David leaned in, smirking at Kurt. "There are _no words_ to describe how wrong you are."

Kurt broke out laughing at that. David was so calm and relaxed Kurt could almost believe he was the Dave from his dreams. "So what about 'O Fortuna?' What's so great about _that_ one?"

"It's…a _mood_ piece for me. I used to get depressed a lot when I was younger. I was…teased a lot. 'O Fortuna' always made me feel…not _better_ per se, but empowered, at least. It's kind of…I've never really talked to anyone about this, before."

Kurt put his hand over David's, squeezing it comfortingly. "I've been your secret-keeper for almost a year now. You can tell me anything."

"One word: Blaine."

"That doesn't count! I hadn't promised to keep your secret yet, but even still, I knew Blaine was trustworthy. He knows what we're going through, being gay teenagers in Ohio _isn't_ easy. I was trying to create a support network for you."

"Even still, it's my life, my secret. You shouldn't have told Blaine."

Kurt picked up his lemon water David had brought him in earlier and placed it to his lips. Whispering just loud enough for David to hear, he mumbled, "Or Mercedes."

"WHAT?"

"It's ok, Dave. You can trust her. She figured it out on her own and I just…failed to lie adequately…or at all."

"I can't believe you would betray me like this." David hung his head down between his knees, trying to steady his breathing and keep from hyperventilating.

"You can trust her David. She's known for about week or two now and she hasn't said anything. Besides…someday you're going to _want_ to come out. The more people that know, the easier it'll be and the more support you'll have." Kurt rubbed his hand down David's back, trying to comfort him. "You won't be _alone_ anymore."

It took David a moment to calm himself. He forced himself to see things from Kurt's point of view. This sucked in the short term, but in the long run this would be better for him. Sitting back up, David nodded. Kurt was right. "I used to think…I was _sure_ someday I'd just break down and end it all. There was a line from the song, 'O Fortuna,' that I wanted on my tombstone: 'mecum omnes plangite.' It means 'everybody weep with me.' If I couldn't be happy, why should anyone?"

Kurt leaned over and wrapped his arms around David. "I know you have a hard time with other people; I _get_ that David. But if you spend the rest of your life afraid, you'll never _live_."

"I _know_ that, Kurt. I just need time." David's breath came out shaky under Kurt's arms. David had never told anyone he had been suicidal before. He knew that if he _had_ ever killed himself, he would likely wind up at Cocytus for the rest of eternity: the river of wailing. The waters of the river would make him feel nothing but sadness for the rest of his afterlife; he didn't much care though, he was so depressed much of the time he couldn't imagine _not_ being sad. Releasing Kurt from his hug, David tried changing the subject, "So, what's your favorite book?"

**xoxoxo**

**Those we've met so far:**

**David – son of Hades and Persephone**

**Paul – Hades (Pluto in Latin), god of the underworld and wealth (the Greeks believed that since precious jewels and metals came from underground that they were part of Hades realm)**

**Sophie – Persephone/Kore (Proserpina in Latin), goddess of spring and queen of the underworld**

**Aaron – Eros (Cupid in Latin), god of love**

**Sarah – Psyche (Psyche in Latin), goddess of the soul**

**Homer – an old rat David befriended in the Underworld**

**Aphrodite – (Venus in Latin) Goddess of love and beauty**

**Hermes – (Mercury in Latin) Messenger of the gods and escort of souls to the Underworld**

**Apollo – (Apollo in Latin) God of the sun, medicine, knowledge, music, and poetry**

**Demetria – Demeter (Ceres in Latin) Goddess of the harvest and seasons**

**Zeus – (Jupiter in Latin) King of the gods and god of the sky **

**Hera – (Juno in Latin) Queen of the gods and goddess of Marriage, women and birth**

**Morpheus – (Morpheus in Latin) god of dreams**

**Icelus – (couldn't find an accurate Latin variation) – god of nightmares**

**Artemis – (Diana in Latin) goddess of the hunt, wilderness, the moon**

**Priapus – (Mutunus Tutunus in Latin) minor god of fertility, gardens and male genitalia (he's also the reason you should call your doctor if you have an erection lasting longer than 3 hours…lol)**


	24. The Sound of Music

**There's a spoiler alert for _The Sound of Music_ in this. If you haven't seen the movie…what the hell rock have you been living under?**

**Also, if you want to see what Paul's t-shirt looks like, Google the quote on it; you'll know which shirt it is when you see it. **

**P.S. I saw Max Adler's post about his girlfriend and automatically got pissed and jealous that he isn't mine. Then it occurred to me that he and his girlfriend likely engage in sex. Then I realized 'holy crap, Max has sex and someone out there gets to join in on it.' Then I realized that it IS possible to have sex with Max. Then I just started thinking about Max having sex. I was happy the rest of the night. This is how my brain functions.**

xoxoxo

"You know what I always wondered about this movie?" Homer could enunciate rather well considering he had a bite of apple in his mouth. "What happened to the nuns, afterwards?"

Call David a creeper, or a stalker, if you wished, but over the next week, he looked up Kurt's favorite artists, rented some movie adaptations of Broadway performances on Netflix, and pulled out his mother's old VHS copy of _The Sound of Music_. He was watching it with Homer and Pavarotti right then, both of them swearing to be on their best behaviors.

Pavarotti was trying to chirp along with "How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria." He couldn't do a whole song, or even a whole strain of music. That wasn't really how canaries thought; instead, he picked out his favorite notes and made his own song out of them.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, think about it. The nuns wrecked the Nazi's car to keep the von Trapps from getting caught. How long do you think it would have taken the Nazi's to figure that out? And what do you suppose happened to anyone who angered the Nazis? They weren't known to be very forgiving to anyone who got in their way, especially the religious type."

Pavarotti let out an ear-piercing whistle. "Spoiler alert! I've never seen this!"

"Maria von Trapp has several biographies and autobiographies out. If you want I'll get them for you, Homer."

"No thank you. While I _am _curious I wouldn't waste my time rifling through something so mundane when there're far greater literary works for me to peruse. The collected works of Theodor Geisel come to mind."

"I don't think Dr. Seuss would interest you much, Homer." David paused and rewound the video to the catch the dialog Homer had interrupted.

"On the contrary, many of his works have deep-seated allegorical and political underpinnings. _The Lorax,_ most notably, is an environmentalist piece; the _Butter Battle Book_ is a metaphor for the Cold War and hints at inspiration drawn from Jonathan Swift's timeless _Gulliver's Travels_; _The Sneetches_ has been accused of referencing Nazi controlled Europe and the persecution of Jews with the "stars upon thars," albeit backwards; even _The Cat in the Hat_ is used in psychological forums to describe and explain the ego, super ego and id. Some have even argued that _Horton Hears A Who_ is a pro-life argument – "A person's a person, no matter how small" - though Geisel vehemently denied it."

"Does he have a mute button?"

"Sorry, Pavarotti, he doesn't. Not that I've found."

"Give me yogurt and I promise to be quiet…at least until intermission." David got up, jogged downstairs, fetched a cup of yogurt and returned it to Homer. True to his word, he was too busy licking the cup to death to talk for most of the rest of the movie.

Pavarotti hopped up onto David's shoulder, preening David's hair. "We have to make you pretty for Kurt, after all." Pavarotti told David all the wonderful and fabulous things Kurt liked to do. He told him about how pretty Kurt dressed even when he wasn't planning on seeing anyone, how much he preened himself every morning and night, how he liked to buy Pavarotti nice things, how he absolutely doted when he was in love. David knew most of this, but it was rather reassuring that Kurt's pet thought he had a good chance with him.

"What do you think is the best thing I could do to win him over?"

Pavarotti didn't even need to stop to think. "Sing to him. Kurt should have been born a mockingbird; he likes a mate that knows a lot of pretty songs."

"I do sing to him. I sing to him when I'm in his dreams."

"Oh, that's not good enough. Kurt's also like a peacock; he likes to strut and have boys try to show off for him. It's not good enough just to sing for Kurt's pleasure; you need to show off your singing in front of all of his flock. You must prove to _everybody_ that you're an ideal mate for him."

David shook his head, careful not to hit the small bird perched on his shoulder. "I can't do that. Not in front of other people. I'd have a panic attack."

"Birds that don't sing don't mate."

"Yeah, well I'm not a bird."

"Then why are you courting one?"

xoxoxo

Kurt parked behind David and followed him up his front walk. There was no football practice today, he wasn't hanging out with any of the guys (Azimio's group or Finn's) and they both had homework to catch up on, so they took advantage of their time.

Kurt stood patiently on the front stoop as David worked the locks on the door, chatting away mindlessly about some game he was excited about this week. Apparently the Titans and the Pitbulls, the team they were to play, had opposing strengths. David was trying to tell Kurt about what was wrong with their halfbacks, fullbacks, Big Macs, whatever. Kurt only listened just enough so that he could 'uh-huh' or comment appropriately.

When the lock 'clicked,' David pushed the door open and stopped short. "Hi, dad…what are you doing here?"

Kurt poked his head into the doorway and saw Paul seated on the couch, a stack of paperwork on the coffee table and a clipboard of papers in hand. He wasn't dressed in a suit, which completely threw Kurt for a loop. Paul Karofsky just _wasn't_ someone he expected to ever see in a t-shirt. But, there he was, in a deep blue t-shirt with a caricature of some kind printed on the front. "Hi, Mr. Karofsky. I mean _Paul."_

"Hello, Kurt." Paul smiled at Kurt before turning his attention to David. "Your cousin Harry delivered some paperwork this morning that I had to deal with. " Paul gestured to the large stack in front of him. 'Harry' was Hermes' mortal name du jour, although _every_ generation he usually took the name Harold or one of its variations. He felt it an appropriate name for the messenger of the gods. "So what are you two up to?"

David hoisted his book bag up on one shoulder, drawing attention to it. "We're just doing some homework together."

Paul glanced between Kurt and Dave, letting out a breathy 'uh…huh.' "So…anything you two want to tell me?"

"_Dad_. I've told you already, Kurt and I are _not_ dating."

"To be fair, I've told him that as well."

Paul went back to his paperwork, affronted by Kurt and David ganging up on him. "Yes, well…that was _weeks_ ago; things change."

Kurt sat down in the armchair next to the sofa. The television was turned on with the volume low enough to hear, but not enough to distract someone doing paperwork. "Is this _Hercules_?" It wasn't the live action Kevin Sorbo television show that Kurt already knew Paul apparently adored. No, it was the _Disney_ version.

"Yes. I don't work well in silence. Some people like to listen to music; I like to watch television and movies while I work." Paul shuffled through the papers in his lap, pulled one out and placed it aside after making a few marks on it.

"David told me you were a fan of Greek mythology. He's been teaching it to me."

Paul looked up at David, even as he addressed Kurt. Kurt couldn't read Paul's expression, but felt that his words had some hidden meaning behind them. "Is that so?"

David shuffled his feet nervously, before taking a seat on the couch next to his father. "Yeah, well…he came to school with a mythology book one day, so we just talked about it. The book he had was full of a load of crappy information."

"Hmm…" Paul returned his attention to his paperwork. "So, is David a good teacher?"

Kurt looked over at David for some kind of guidance; he knew he had said something wrong that may well have gotten David in trouble, but he couldn't think of what, for the life of him. "Yeah. We only talked about mythology for a little bit…I kind of lost interest in it. But now he helps me with my math homework. He's a genius when it comes to math."

Paul nodded, seemingly appeased at both Kurt's response and the subtle change in topic. "That he is. He really enjoys math. If he spent half the time he does on his English homework as he does on his math homework, he'd be pulling straight As."

"Well, while he helps me with my math homework, I help him with his English. We're both only so-so when it comes to chemistry."

Shrugging, Paul removed the papers from their clipboard, straightened them and placed them aside. "He bullshits his way well enough. He was always better with biology."

"Probably because it interests him. Anything to do with animals, _bam_, you've got Dave's undivided attention."

Paul chuckled, "You don't have to tell me that! David used to cry whenever we'd pick up food at the pet store because he wanted to take them all home."

David, who had his head buried in his hand moaned out "I was _little."_

Putting his hand up beside his mouth, Paul looked over at Kurt and stage whispered, "Twelve isn't _that_ little."

"Dad!"

Kurt smiled at Paul. He liked him; he was a very nice man. The two times he had met him in the principal's office hadn't been enough time for Kurt to really form a good assessment of Paul, but he was pretty certain he had a good read on him now and he was just a happy, pleasant person. "I think we're embarrassing David... So what does your shirt say?"

Paul looked down at his shirt and pulled it out at the bottom corners so Kurt could see it himself. It was a teal-blue planet on a dark blue backdrop. The planet had downcast eyes and a sad expression. Paul read out the text for him, "It says, '_It's ok, Pluto. I'm not a planet either._' My mother-in-law got it for me a few years back. She meant it as a gag-gift, but I rather like it." Kurt nodded, but he didn't quite get the 'joke' and decided it must be an inside thing for the Karofskys.

xoxoxo

"I can't believe your dad was singing along with _Hercules_. That's so cute." Kurt and David had stayed with Paul in the living room until the end of the movie. Paul hadn't really been 'singing,' per se; he alternated between mumbling the words and humming the tune, both under his breath. It was obvious Paul _really_ wanted to sing along, but was too shy to.

"Both my parents are surprisingly good singers. Every now and then I'll walk in on them dancing in the kitchen or sunroom while they sing to each other. It's disgustingly adorable."

Kurt smiled. "It's cute that they love each other so much." Kurt smiled shyly to himself as a stray thought worked its way into his mind. "Do _you_ sing?"

Dave thought back to his conversation with Pavarotti and turned a blotchy reddish color and chuckled nervously. "Not..._willingly_."

_Damn, too bad. _Kurt thought to himself. _Oh well. I suppose he can't be _**_perfect_**.

**xoxoxo**

**Those we've met so far:**

**David – son of Hades and Persephone**

**Paul – Hades (Pluto in Latin), god of the underworld and wealth (the Greeks believed that since precious jewels and metals came from underground that they were part of Hades realm)**

**Sophie – Persephone/Kore (Proserpina in Latin), goddess of spring and queen of the underworld**

**Aaron – Eros (Cupid in Latin), god of love**

**Sarah – Psyche (Psyche in Latin), goddess of the soul**

**Homer – an old rat David befriended in the Underworld**

**Aphrodite – (Venus in Latin) Goddess of love and beauty**

**Harry – Hermes (Mercury in Latin) Messenger of the gods and escort of souls to the Underworld**

**Apollo – (Apollo in Latin) God of the sun, medicine, knowledge, music, and poetry**

**Demetria – Demeter (Ceres in Latin) Goddess of the harvest and seasons**

**Zeus – (Jupiter in Latin) King of the gods and god of the sky **

**Hera – (Juno in Latin) Queen of the gods and goddess of Marriage, women and birth**

**Morpheus – (Morpheus in Latin) god of dreams**

**Icelus – (couldn't find an accurate Latin variation) – god of nightmares**

**Artemis – (Diana in Latin) goddess of the hunt, wilderness, the moon**

**Priapus – (Mutunus Tutunus in Latin) minor god of fertility, gardens and male genitalia (he's also the reason you should call your doctor if you have an erection lasting longer than 3 hours…lol)**


	25. Raging Bull

"**Cute T-shirt joke. What a good-natured thing of Demetria, considering how she mostly feels about Paul :P" –Spearit**

**I don't see it as "good-natured" so much as her making fun of him that the one, teeny tiny bit of respect humans gave Hades was snatched away and then turned into a joke (Pluto being downgraded and basically kicked out of every elementary school diorama of the Solar System). **

**Paul just takes everything in stride though; he's used to his family's ridicule and scorn by now, so he can accept it from mortals. And let's face it, he's the god of the Underworld, so he's gonna get the last laugh, anyway.**

xoxoxo

David, Strando and Azimio walked down the halls of McKinley High School the Friday morning of the game against the Pitbulls. Azimio walked down the center with David on his left side and Strando flanking him on the right. It was kind of empowering to David, seeing the sea of students part before them: almost like old times. A voice at the back of his head reminded him that they were only doing that out of fear, not respect. But he didn't participate in any bullying Strando and Az got up to, so he felt no reason to feel guilty.

Although, he still did.

The three boys talked about the upcoming football game, the one common denominator between them. David had no interest in any of the crime scene investigation shows Az watched or the MMORPGs Strando played and neither of them had any interest in animals or gardening.

They did have one other common connection; in middle school they had each been bullied relentlessly for their weight. Joining the football team had made their sizes an asset however, and the bullying subsided. Yet it was unspoken that this was a verboten topic between the three. None of them really wanted to relive their own experiences as the victim.

As they rounded a corner, David stopped short, prompting the others to follow suit.

Anyone familiar with the old cartoons would know that when a bull got angry, it turned red, its nostrils flared, and steam came out of its ears and nose. That's exactly how Strando and Azimio would describe David as he took off in a charge down the hall.

xoxoxo

To Kurt Hummel, it was a good day. He had had a nice afternoon with Paul and David the day before (who could object to Disney movies?); his dad was in a generous mood and had given him a bonus in his allowance; Finn had, for once, done all of his chores without Kurt harassing him; and he had had an exceptionally nice dream about David the night before. It wasn't anything frisky, but there _had_ been a _little_ bit of kissing. Kurt swooned at the thought.

His outfit today reflected his good mood. He was wearing a pair of black, knee-high, high-heeled boots over his sexy black skinny jeans, a deep blue button down blouse (that _technically_ had come from the girls' section at the store, but no one needed to know that), with an unbuttoned, black mandarin style jacket with deep blue frogs (the braided clasps on the front of the jacket) topping the whole ensemble. He looked fabulous and he knew it.

Too bad it only took a moment for him to feel anything _but_ fabulous. Before he was even aware that there were any red letterman-clad troglodytes around him, he was blinded: thick, sticky syrup running down his face, into his mouth and, against the laws of gravity, up his nose. There is no such thing as becoming "desensitized" to a slushying. It will always be as cold, as painful, and as horrifically unexpected as that first time. The only thing that changes is your reaction to one. Kurt, after years of being slushied, had learned to breathe through his mouth after the first moment of impact, fight all instincts to rub his eyes, and lean slightly forward to minimize the damage to his clothes. Even still, it sucked.

Almost as much as the double body slams he got into the nearby lockers before he even regained his sight. "Hahaha! Fucking fag. Look at those goddamned boots. You look like a fucking chick." Kurt recognized the voice, but couldn't put a name to it. He was positive it was one of the puckheads, though.

"I don't know. Dude or chick, _I_ think the boots make him look like a prostitute. 'Sucky-sucky, five darra, love you rong, rong time.'" The two voices began braying out hyena-like laughs. Kurt recognized the second voice, even as it was doing a horribly stereotyped Asian accent. Another puckhead, he was sure of it.

He winced and shrunk in on himself when he heard a loud crash, thinking he had been slammed against the locker, again.

xoxoxo

David pinioned Scott Cooper against one of the lockers, summoning strength he didn't know he possessed to hold him up, one handed, around the neck, five inches off the ground. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Rick Nelson coming up on him, but Nelson, his reflexes being the joke of the hockey team, was easily taken out by a well placed backhanded punch. Pulling Cooper forward slightly, he rammed him against the locker again before letting him fall to the ground, crumpling in heap on the floor.

Kurt was able to open his eyes just as David turned away from the hockey jock and came over to him. Delicately wiping the cold, red dye out from under Kurt's eyes with his thumb, Kurt saw a score of emotions play out in David's expression; anger, hate, fear, sadness…tenderness, love. Kurt wanted to reach out and pull David into a kiss, but David, fear winning out, pulled back just as Sue Sylvester came storming down the halls.

xoxoxo

The first time Kurt had visited Olivine, he hadn't noticed the soft tinkling of bells as he entered. Looking up, he saw that they were delicate, tiny, silver bells made to look like berries cascading down a vine. Very fancy, very beautiful. Paul was the one to greet Kurt at the door this time. "He's in back, you can just go knock on the door."

"Thanks, Paul." Kurt, long since changed into a pair of comfy, tight blue jeans, a graphic t-shirt, and black dress shoes, went around the counter at the back of the store and knocked on the door.

A very dreary-looking David poked his head out a moment later and instantly seemed to cheer up. "Hey, Kurt. Come on in." The office was significantly cleaner this time around. David had asked one of the nymphs to take care of it now that he knew it was a possibility that Kurt could stop in unannounced at any time. He was very glad that he, for once, had the foresight.

Kurt sat down at Paul's desk and twirled the spinny chair to face David. "So, how did it go in Figgins' office?"

David slumped down in his own chair, his tie flopping over to the side. "I'm suspended for three days. I can come back to school next Thursday. That means I'm not allowed to play in the game tonight. I don't really even give a fuck though and I told Azimio and Strando as much. I'm just so sick and tired of all the bullshit."

Kurt wanted to place a hand over David's, but they were too far apart. "I'm sorry. This is _not_ going to look good on your college transcripts."

David shrugged it off, a small smirk playing at the corners of his lips as though he wanted to smile but couldn't bring himself to it. "Yeah, well…Sylvester and Figgins kind of sided with me here. They didn't have much choice in suspending me because of what I did, but Sylvester informed me, 'confidentially speaking of course,' they've been having 'issues' with their filing system lately and the suspension might 'accidentally go missing' from my permanent records."

Kurt smiled. "That's really good of them. I know Coach Sylvester can be a truly heinous monster sometimes, but she has a soft spot for me and anyone who protects me. So, I guess the only issue on your record is the expulsion."

David shook his head. "That's not in my records." Kurt looked confused. "It was overturned. They couldn't put it in my records because there wasn't any evidence. It's like I got acquitted."

"Huh…well you're just lucky that I like you now." Kurt and David smiled at each other while maintaining eye contact. David was the first to blush and look away. "I have my own personal savior."

"I'm just sorry I couldn't save your clothes."

Kurt tried to shrug dismissively, but he was sure his disappointment and uncertainty showed in his voice. "It was a pretty dark colored outfit. I'm sure proper dry-cleaning can take care of everything…hopefully."

David licked his lips nervously before sucking his bottom lip into his mouth and chewing on it, like he was thinking of something difficult. "I could…you know, take you clothes shopping or something." Kurt cocked his head to the side. "I probably owe you a whole _wardrobe_ after all the slushying I did to you."

"You don't have to, David."

David didn't look at him. Instead, he looked at his lap, leaned forward and shook his head to himself, resolved in his decision. "No, I do. It's the honorable thing to do. I need to _undo_ everything I did to you before. I called you names…now I call you nice things. I pushed you around; now I protect you. I wrecked your clothes; now I'll get you new clothes." Kurt smiled; David was maturing so nicely. "Besides, I'd really _like_ to. And I could use a few new outfits, myself. Apparently my polos are a sin against nature."

Kurt laughed at that. "Every time I see one I'm tempted to burn your closet to the ground." Mirroring David's body language, Kurt licked his own lips subconsciously. "I'd like for us to go shopping together, as well. Are you available tomorrow, or are you grounded?"

David shook his head. "No. My dad is very big into justice. He believes bad things happen to people who don't somehow pay or atone for their crimes. He's kind of happy I went all vigilante/Rambo on them. He says it'll help their karma." In truth, Paul knew full well that those who didn't pay for their crimes in life would suffer for them in death. "I'm free tomorrow."

Kurt held his hand out to David across the gap between them. Taking David's hand in his own, he gave it one brief shake. "It's a date."

**xoxoxo**

**Those we've met so far:**

**David – son of Hades and Persephone**

**Paul – Hades (Pluto in Latin), god of the underworld and wealth (the Greeks believed that since precious jewels and metals came from underground that they were part of Hades realm)**

**Sophie – Persephone/Kore (Proserpina in Latin), goddess of spring and queen of the underworld**

**Aaron – Eros (Cupid in Latin), god of love**

**Sarah – Psyche (Psyche in Latin), goddess of the soul**

**Homer – an old rat David befriended in the Underworld**

**Aphrodite – (Venus in Latin) Goddess of love and beauty**

**Harry – Hermes (Mercury in Latin) Messenger of the gods and escort of souls to the Underworld**

**Apollo – (Apollo in Latin) God of the sun, medicine, knowledge, music, and poetry**

**Demetria – Demeter (Ceres in Latin) Goddess of the harvest and seasons**

**Zeus – (Jupiter in Latin) King of the gods and god of the sky **

**Hera – (Juno in Latin) Queen of the gods and goddess of Marriage, women and birth**

**Morpheus – (Morpheus in Latin) god of dreams**

**Icelus – (couldn't find an accurate Latin variation) – god of nightmares**

**Artemis – (Diana in Latin) goddess of the hunt, wilderness, the moon**

**Priapus – (Mutunus Tutunus in Latin) minor god of fertility, gardens and male genitalia (he's also the reason you should call your doctor if you have an erection lasting longer than 3 hours…lol)**


	26. Secrets, secrets aren't fun

**I really need to stop reading the Glee forums. It seems most (vocal) Klaine-shippers have forgotten Blaine tried to rape Kurt (yet Dave's looker room kiss is heinous assault?) or that Finn threw pee-balloons at Kurt, or that Puck and Finn tossed him in dumpsters on a daily basis. **

**RIB+6 must be proud that they've created a fandom where attempted rape is seen as passionate love whereas a forced kiss is a sin worthy of death.**

xoxoxo

David had barely taken control of Kurt's dream before Kurt jumped him, wrapping his long…beautiful….slender…firm…strong legs around David's waist. David shook himself to snap out of it. He had a gorgeous guy _literally_ throwing himself at him and all David could think about was his legs. He chided himself; how ridiculous was that when there were far better things for him to be focusing on? Like the fact that his palms were cupping Kurt's lovely…gorgeous…succulent _ass_ in order to support him. Or the fact that Kurt's hands were cupping his face as he moved in to kiss him.

It wasn't one of the tentative, delicate kisses Kurt sometimes planted on him with all the emotion and lust of someone kissing a beloved relative. No, Kurt attacked his lips with all the fervor he could muster. It reminded David of that first, desperate kiss in the locker room a year ago. Only this time, David was the one unresponsive to the surprise attack. As Kurt maneuvered his lips against David's, David's eyes were wide open, watching the intent and content look on Kurt's face. Slowly closing his eyes, David gave in to the furious ministrations of his lover.

He parted his lips, inviting Kurt into his mouth, but Kurt's lips migrated along David's own until he was kissing David's cheeks and then his jaw line. Pulling back, Kurt stared into David's eyes, a deep look of fondness and warmth there. "Not that I didn't enjoy it, but what the _hell_ was that about?"

"You were so _hot_ earlier." David cocked an eyebrow. He hadn't though of himself as being "hot," just really freakin' pissed. And he had been afraid that his unrestrained aggressiveness had frightened Kurt.

Apparently not.

"I promised I would protect you. I _failed_."

Kurt shrugged. "Maybe so, but you were still really sexy. It isn't every day that handsome guys come to my rescue." Kurt, still being supported by David's arms, leaned against him, wrapping his own arms around David's neck. "Quote unquote, I'm against any forms of violence. But in my own little fantasy world I'm allowed to think that what you did today was _really_ sexy."

David rubbed his hand up and down Kurt's back. "I just wish I'd been there sooner."

xoxoxo

David sat outside a changing room at Nordstrom's trying desperately to refrain from touching himself. Kurt kept disappearing into the changing rooms only to return a moment later wearing clothes that _should_ have been illegal. David marveled at Kurt's ability to fit himself into seemingly painted-on pants. The first pair had perfectly accentuated Kurt's perfectly taut little ass. The second pair left David wondering how the hell a _guy_ could wear something that tight without everything getting all squashed…if there _was_ anything there. That thought made him nervous for a little bit until Kurt returned with a third set of jeans that completely eliminated any fear David may have had with regards to Kurt's "equipment."

Kurt was fully aware of the effects he was having on David. He had popped out of the changing room more than once, here and t other stores, to see David trying to re-cross his legs in order to hide his issue. It was a huge adrenaline rush to Kurt. He wasn't used to anyone thinking of him as being "desirable." Even Blaine had confessed to regarding him as little more than an adorable pet.

When Kurt came back out in his final outfit, he caught David palming himself through his jeans. Raising an eyebrow, he met David's guilty expression with one of humorous accusation. "Classy, David."

"It's not _my_ fault. You're such a damn cock-tease."

Kurt felt himself draw back in surprise. "I'm a what?"

David placed one of Kurt's bags from an earlier store over his lap, drawing Kurt's attention away from his face and back down towards his growing dilemma…It wasn't really a "growing" dilemma, it was _already_ full-grown, but the pain of having it neglected while so desperate for attention was starting to make it painful. "A cock-tease. You're promising… _it_…all these things that _you_ have no intention of delivering. That's not right; it isn't fair."

Kurt fidgeted with his fingers, trying not to lose his perfectly in-control composure. "Someday…maybe."

David narrowed his eyes. _Someday what?...Oh_. "We aren't even dating."

"I've decided I think we are."

"You've decided…? What?" David liked to think of himself as intelligent. But every now and then, Kurt made him feel as ignorant as a toddler.

"I've decided that you and I are dating…assuming you want that?" David nodded mutely. "We obviously like each other, we go exceptionally well together and, after yesterday, I think you've managed to prove your loyalty to me when it comes down to it. So, I think it's acceptable for us to date."

David looked like someone had just announced that the ASPCA had taken over the world. "Does this mean I get to kiss you?"

Kurt blushed, feigning indifference. "I suppose so. If you insist." Kurt had barely finished his statement before David's lips were welded to his own. Both of them well remembered their make-out session the night before, but this was _so_ much nicer. The sensations were stronger, the movement richer, the feeling _realer_. This wasn't a dream; this was _reality_.

When they were done kissing, Kurt took David's hand and swung it playfully from side to side between them. "Come on, pack-mule. Get my bags while I get changed into my regular clothes. Then we can pay for this stuff and find a store more _your_ style. Smiling like a goof, David did as instructed.

xoxoxo

"This isn't really a _clothing_ store. This is a biker store." They stood outside what appeared to be a Harley-Davidson wannabe store. The center of the store was mostly gear for accessorizing or customizing motorcycles. The outer walls of the store, however, were lined with jackets, helmets, chaps, boots, and pants.

"I know, but I figured this was our best bet since I know you want to do that whole bad-boy thing that Ares does on _Hercules_." Taking David's hand, Kurt dragged him into the store. David gulped nervously. He didn't mind Kurt holding his hand in the rest of the mall, but he wasn't exactly sure how the clientele of _this particular_ establishment would react towards the blatant display of homosexuality.

A couple of the customers eyed up Kurt: out of curiosity or animosity, David couldn't tell. Kurt released David's hand and started wandering around the display racks. David kept a neutral distance from his _boyfriend_. He wanted to be close enough to him in case anything happened, but at the same time he didn't want to _invite_ anything to happen by clinging too closely to him.

"Oh, David! Check these out. These would look so _hot_ on you."

David turned red. A few of the patrons continued to watch him and Kurt. A couple of the shoppers were smirking at him, no doubt amused by his obvious discomfort. One even winked at him. He wasn't entirely certain how to react to that. David took the offered pants from Kurt and looked them over. They were black, made from very comfy, pre-softened leather. He flicked up the back hem to check over the tag. Yep, one hundred percent leather. "I like how leather _looks_, but I'm not sure I'd feel comfortable _wearing_ it. Not without knowing where it _came_ from."

Kurt took the pants back from David, looking them over. "Hmmm…I hadn't thought of that. I'm not really sure _how_ you tell if leather is kosher or not." As David walked over to a display of clearly inferior clothing, no doubt pleather in Kurt's opinion, Kurt felt that little niggling at the back of his head again. Something about what he had just said…what was it?

David felt a weird shift in the air, as though someone were watching him. Turning around, Kurt stood right behind him, watching him curiously, confusion spelt out across his features. "How did I know you kept kosher?"

David, slightly startled at Kurt's sudden, noiseless appearance, shrugged. "I don't know. I probably told you."

Kurt shook his head, maintaining eye contact with David. "No. No you didn't."

"I'm sure it's come up before. I mean, let's face it, I'm not exactly _quiet_ about how I feel towards animals."

Kurt was still shaking his head. "No. I'd remember if you told me you kept kosher."

David shrugged again, nervously. "Obviously I _did_ tell you, since you _obviously_ remembered."

"I _dreamt_ you told me your kept kosher. And halal. I'd never _heard_ the word halal before I dreamt it."

David smiled reassuringly at Kurt, before picking up a pair of pants and looking them over, trying to stave off his growing anxiety. "The mind is an incredible thing. Maybe you heard it in passing once and your subconscious remembered it."

"I also dreamt you were into mythology." David opened his mouth to speak but Kurt cut him off, _"Before_ I borrowed that book from the library."

"You and I have had a _lot _of classes together over the years. Maybe you remembered something from middle school, or whatever."

"No. There's no way my subconscious is _that_ good. I also dreamt you went back to being friends with Azimio because you were trying to protect yourself from people finding out you're gay."

"That's _not_ a very hard leap to make. We _both_ know I'm a fucking coward."

"I want the truth, David. There _is_ such a thing as too many coincidences."

David closed his eyes, trying to shut out the outside world so he could think for just a moment. When he opened them, Kurt was still staring at him, intent on an answer. "It's lunch time. How about we go to Subway and sit for a while?"

xoxoxo

Kurt had no intention of letting the matter rest, but he had no problem letting David finish off his sub before he started questioning him again. Consider it a "last meal" if you will. David finished his sub off slowly, delicately almost. When he was done, he patted his napkin against his lips, obviously trying to stall for time in Kurt's perspective. "Ok. You've eaten. Talk."

David looked out the picturesque window that he had chosen to sit next to. He picked it for an important reason, though now he considered abandoning his original reasoning and simply jumping through it to avoid the Hummel Inquisition. "The dreams are all real."

Kurt had expected as much. He had always felt that there was something _off_ about them. He wouldn't have started grilling David if he _hadn't_ thought so. He would have come off looking like a loon. But at the same time… "How is that possible?"

"Because everything _in_ the dreams was true."

Kurt was willing to accept that David had somehow invaded his dreams, astral projection, maybe, but the possibility that the things he had said _in_ the dreams were true? All of them? Kurt wasn't prepared to accept that. "You expect me to believe that you're a god?" Kurt leaned forward, his voice low.

"Look out the window, behind my right shoulder. You should see a tree. _In_ that tree you will see a robin, sitting alone. Correct?" Kurt nodded. The bird was there, as described. But David could have easily spotted it as they were sitting down. "The bird is going to stretch its right wing." Kurt looked back out the window in time to see the bird do as David predicted. "Now its left." Once again, David accurately predicted the bird's actions. "Both together out at its sides. Both together up in the air." Again and again, the bird did exactly as David said it would.

Kurt turned around in his chair, trying to spot something David could be monitoring its reflection in, but paused. David was saying what the bird would do _before_ it happened; a reflection wouldn't show him _that_. "How did you do that?" Kurt's eyes were wide and panicked. David hated seeing Kurt afraid, especially of him.

"It's part of my domain. I can control animals."

"No. If you were a god, you wouldn't be able to get hurt. I've _seen_ you get hurt before and you're _not_ that good of an actor." Kurt's finger was in David's face, pointing at his nose, trying to emphasize his point.

David took Kurt's hand and lowered it gently to the table. "It's difficult to explain. I'm the _only_ kid my parents were ever able to have. They wanted me to be as normal as possible so they've deprived me of a lot of my powers. I'm immortal, but not impervious to injury. Most of the powers that _all_ gods get won't be mine until I'm an adult, like teleportation, shape shifting, invisibility."

"Ha! You're wrong. Only a _few_ gods could turn invisible because they needed things like the helm of invisibility."

David nodded his accession. Kurt had obviously been doing his homework. "The helm of invisibility makes Hades invisible to _other_ gods or those with the ability to see _through_ most forms of magic. All gods can become invisible to mortals."

Kurt sat back in his chair, trying to think of another way to test David. "Make an animal appear out of nothing."

David smiled, Kurt was cute when he was worked up, even if it hurt his heart to see him so upset. "It doesn't quite work like that, Kurt. Yes, I'm the god of domesticated animals, as well as some others, but my powers are severely limited until I'm an adult."

"Because of your parents?"

David shrugged. "Not just them. Imagine for a second you're a twelve year old. Think about how confusing life was back then, how your emotions were running rampant; you could barely understand your emotions let alone control them half the time. You cried a lot in middle school. I remember. Me? I got angry a lot. Now imagine for a second you're that same twelve-year-old with the power to start a _war_ every time you got upset. The _vast majority_ of the gods don't get full control over their domain, if they even know what it is, until they're an adult. And even then they usually weren't very responsible with it."

Kurt slumped down in his seat. "You're telling the truth, aren't you?"

"I don't like to lie to you, Kurt. I _hate_ it."

"But you've _been_ lying to me, all along. I mean how old are you?"

"I told you, my eighteenth birthday is in December."

"But you're a Greek _god_."

David smiled. "Not _all_ the gods were born back in the classical era. Most gods no longer have children anymore, it's true: especially full-blooded children. They've found ways to… _prevent_ that, in order to avoid power-struggles. But my parents were never able to have children, no matter how hard they tried until I came along."

"Who _are_ your parents?"

David paled. He could see how 'great' this would turn out. "My mother is the goddess of spring." He tried to make it sound as pleasant as possible. Kurt would probably turn and run the second David said who his father was.

"That's Persephone, right?" David nodded. "Sophie – _Persephone. _It makes sense." Kurt kept staring out the window, avoiding David's gaze. "Does that mean Paul's…your dad is Hades, isn't he?" Again, David nodded. This time, far less enthusiastically. "That's…wow. Ok. I'm really not sure how to feel about this. _Any_ of it. You lied to me." Kurt held up a finger. "You've been invading the sanctity of my dreams for _months_ now." He held up another finger. "You abandoned me to be friends with Azimio." A third finger went up. "I just…how the hell am I supposed to react to all this?"

"You forgave me for what happened with Azimio, so can we please just cross that one of the list?" Kurt put a finger down, agreeing with David. He couldn't re-hash an argument he had already forgiven David for. "And yes, it was wrong of me to invade your dreams, but they were _nice_ dreams weren't they? I never made you do anything you didn't want to…not after that first horrible mess anyway. And we really didn't do anything we wouldn't have done in the real world anyway. We just… _bonded_."

Kurt put his hand down, "I know. But you still _lied_ to me. And it wasn't a _little_ lie, either."

"If I had told you the truth, rather than you figuring it out yourself, would you have ever believed me?"

"I barely believe you _now_. But it's still such a _huge_ thing to take in. And even if you had told me about it…I don't…this is too big, Dave. I don't know if I can handle this."

David nodded, his eyes downcast. "So we're breaking up, I take it?"

"I don't…that doesn't make _sense_." Kurt looked lost in reverie. "I'm dating you in the dreams _and_ the real world. Now that I know you're the same person, it doesn't make sense that I _wouldn't_ date you. And I _knew_ dream-you was a god, and I accepted it, so it doesn't make sense to leave you over that _now_."

"We were dating in the dream world?" Kurt shot David a look that couldn't have said anything other than 'duh'. His face relaxed, his eyebrows raised, his eyes rolling. "Don't give me that look, it's not like you ever told me or anything…or asked me out."

"I didn't really think it was _necessary_. I thought I had dreamed up my perfect guy. I didn't think I would have to ask my _imaginary friend_ out on a date."

"I'm perfect?"

"Only in my dreams, so don't get a big head." Kurt went back to being trapped in his own thoughts. "I can't wrap my head around this right now, David. It's a _lot_ to take in. I'm not breaking up with you…I just need time to think. Let's just…call it a 'hiatus' shall we?"

David nodded. It was far better than Kurt throwing his drink in David's face and saying he never wanted to see him again.

xoxoxo

"All in all, I'd say he took it very well."

"I'm not surprised, he's had _months_ to get used to the idea. I'm sure _part_ of him has been entertaining the possibility for a while now." Homer sat on the kitchen counter while David made them both sandwiches. Making Homer a sandwich was a fairly simple process; he just cut out tiny squares of whatever meats and cheeses he was using and placed them onto little pieces of bread he had ripped off a larger slice and squished into a small flatbread between his fingers. "Plus, he's probably just glad he isn't going insane. So…now that the love of your life knows your _biggest_ secret, don't you think it's time to tell the _giver_ of your life your _second_ biggest secret?"

**xoxoxo**

**Those we've met so far:**

**David – son of Hades and Persephone**

**Paul – Hades (Pluto in Latin), god of the underworld and wealth (the Greeks believed that since precious jewels and metals came from underground that they were part of Hades realm)**

**Sophie – Persephone/Kore (Proserpina in Latin), goddess of spring and queen of the underworld**

**Aaron – Eros (Cupid in Latin), god of love**

**Sarah – Psyche (Psyche in Latin), goddess of the soul**

**Homer – an old rat David befriended in the Underworld**

**Aphrodite – (Venus in Latin) Goddess of love and beauty**

**Harry – Hermes (Mercury in Latin) Messenger of the gods and escort of souls to the Underworld**

**Apollo – (Apollo in Latin) God of the sun, medicine, knowledge, music, and poetry**

**Demetria – Demeter (Ceres in Latin) Goddess of the harvest and seasons**

**Zeus – (Jupiter in Latin) King of the gods and god of the sky **

**Hera – (Juno in Latin) Queen of the gods and goddess of Marriage, women and birth**

**Morpheus – (Morpheus in Latin) god of dreams**

**Icelus – (couldn't find an accurate Latin variation) – god of nightmares**

**Artemis – (Diana in Latin) goddess of the hunt, wilderness, the moon**

**Priapus – (Mutunus Tutunus in Latin) minor god of fertility, gardens and male genitalia (he's also the reason you should call your doctor if you have an erection lasting longer than 3 hours…lol)**


	27. Perfect

**If you don't know what Rule 34 is, Google it. It is common knowledge; you should know this type of thing.**

**xoxoxo**

Sunday morning found Kurt sitting at his vanity, carefully rubbing the white facial cream into his cheeks, making neat little circles until all the white had absorbed into his skin making it soft, pliant and blemish-free. To an onlooker, he probably looked the very definition of vain and insipid, but the point of his daily rituals was rather the complete opposite. While his hands were preoccupied with something that, by now, required absolutely no thought or concentration he could devote his mind to more important pursuits. For instance, what the hell was he going to do about David? He really liked David. But David was such a time-consuming pain-in-the-ass. Kurt wanted to be the high-maintenance one in the relationship, but so far, David was the one requiring all of his time and attention. But on the other hand, David was a _god_. Maybe when he got all his powers he would get the maturity and inner strength that went with them?

And at the same time, how could he be certain that he really _was_ in love with David and not just the idea of dating a god? True, he had known David or a while longer than he had "known" he was a god (Kurt included his dreams of David as "knowledge" since even before David's forced confession, Kurt had difficulty separating the two halves of David), but he only started seriously considering David as dating material _after_ the dreams started. There had been a _few_ moments before then when the light would hit David just right, or David's face would light-up with a smile, or he'd say something cute or silly or witty and Kurt would think, passingly, just _maybe_ he was a worthy suitor, but that moment usually passed.

On the other hand, he enjoyed dream-David because of his easy-going nature and their conversations and the fun they had together…not because he was a _god_. Kurt had _never_ associated that part of dream-David with the real David; it was just _ridiculous_. And was it even wrong for Kurt to be attracted to the fact that David was a god? It was a _part_ of him, as much as David being a brunette, or having no fashion sense. Yes, people who married _way_ outside their "station" were sometimes only in it for the money, or power or their mate's good looks, but wasn't it possible to love them in _spite_ of all these things? Or would that quiet little question always fester inside the more advantaged lover's mind; _Do they love me, or what I have?_ But David obviously trusted him, and he _had_ to know Kurt had feelings for him _before_ he found out about the power and the money…but then again, Kurt had _always_ known about the money; at least since the fair when David told Kurt his dad owned a jewelry store. It was all so confusing.

A light, high-pitched tapping distracted Kurt from his thoughts. Kurt looked around his room, unable to spot the source of the noise. It continued however, prompting Kurt to get up and investigate. Wiping his hands off on a towel, Kurt started looking over, under and around things. Finally, his attention was drawn to the window. There, on his ledge, on the other side of the glass, sat a small gold-yellow canary. He quickly opened the window to let the small creature in and spotted David in the process. He was on the sidewalk outside the Hudmel home. When he saw that Kurt had found the canary, he smiled, nodded and walked away.

The tiny bird sat on the back of Kurt's chair, chirping happily, reminding Kurt of the presence of his new houseguest. Kurt shut the window and went over to his new little friend. Loosely tied around the bird's ankle was a piece of paper that, by rights, should have been too heavy for him to carry. Stroking the bird affectionately on the head, Kurt untied the paper and unraveled it.

_I know you want your distance from me right now, but I thought it was only fair I give him to you considering I **got **him for you as soon as you told me about Pavarotti's death. I don't want you to ever have to know that kind of pain. XO_

Kurt rubbed a single finger down the bird's head and neck with only the slightest bit of pressure, smiling at the way the bird's eyes closed contentedly at the touch. "He's not playing very fair, if you ask me: trying to win me over with such a lovely little gift."

The bird opened its eyes and let out a short chirp. As far as Kurt was concerned, that was the bird saying he agreed with him.

xoxoxo

"Do you remember when I lied to you about being gay?"

Mercedes flashed back to the shattering of a glass windshield that had accompanied Kurt telling her he was attracted to someone else…a someone she had _thought_ was one Rachel Berry. "I remember."

"When I… _came out_ to you, how did you feel? Betrayed? Angry? Upset?"

Mercedes focused on that moment; she knew none of those descriptions were accurate, but she wanted to remember exactly how she _did_ feel. "Of course I wasn't upset or anything. That was a _huge_ secret Kurt. I couldn't blame you for not telling anyone."

"But you were my best friend. I should have trusted _you_ at least."

"I dunno. Big secrets like that, you can never tell how anyone is going to react. And if you weren't ready to talk about it, then you weren't ready. It doesn't matter that we're best friends. No one can _make_ you ready to come out of the closet. _You_ of all people should understand that."

"What if I _hadn't_ come out? What if you had figured it out and _forced_ it out of me? How would you have felt then?"

"I don't think I _would_ have forced it out of you. If I had my suspicions, I would have just kept my peace and let you tell me when you were ready."

"What if it had been a _bigger_ secret than me being gay?"

"A good secret or a bad secret?"

"Neither, really. Just a secret."

"Well, if it isn't something _bad_, then I think it's the same deal. You need to be _ready_ to share your secrets; it doesn't have a whole lot to do with _trust_. Like I said, no one can _make_ you ready." Mercedes stood by Kurt's locker as he rotated his books for his next two classes. He had been very cryptic about what had happened between him and David after the "fight" on Friday (though from what she had heard, it was a very one-sided fight). She knew Karofsky, Cooper, and Rick had all gotten suspended as a result and she knew Kurt had gone to David's work after school to talk to him. But other than that, Kurt was being elusive. "Is this something to do with Karofsky?"

"Yes. But this time I really _cannot_ tell you what it's about. This is David's secret and no one else's."

"Is he sick?" Kurt shook his head. "Dying?" Kurt shook his head again. "Dropping out?"

"Mercedes, I told you: A) I can't tell you, it isn't _my_ secret and B) it isn't a _bad_ thing."

"So…you still like him?"

"I…yeah, of course. I just…we _really_ need to talk and I need to _think_ and…I just really want to _see_ him, but I feel like if I call him, or go to his work or whatever I'd seem like I'm surrendering, or that I've made up my mind."

"So go talk to him now. He's in Ms. Pillsbury's office."

"What?"

xoxoxo

True to Mercedes' word, David was sitting in Ms. Pillsbury's office, across from the guidance counselor and Coach Bieste. He was suspended; he shouldn't be in school. From the other side of the glass, Kurt could see David gesturing to the two women, occasionally letting his head and hands fall in submission. Bieste and Ms. Pillsbury would respond every few moments, their expressions neutral. Kurt really wished he knew what they were talking about. At one point, Coach Bieste lowered herself next to David, put her hands on his shoulders and said something to him. David nodded at her. When Coach Bieste stood back up, she spotted Kurt. Heading towards the window, Bieste shut the blinds, effectively cutting Kurt out of the conversation completely.

That didn't deter Kurt. He hovered outside the office for another fifteen minutes, hiding behind a corner when the door opened and Coach Bieste exited. David came out five minutes later and Kurt ambushed him. "Hey, what are you doing here?"

David looked back towards Ms. Pillsbury's office, rubbing his hand behind his neck. "I just had to talk to Coach and Ms. P. about some stuff. Nothing huge. I'll tell you about it Thursday when I come back." Kurt nodded, remembering what Mercedes had said about people sharing their secrets when they were ready. "So how's Pavarotti doing?"

"You cannot _buy_ my affections with really sweet canaries, no matter _how_ affectionate they are." Kurt did his best to subtly imply that _if_ he did decide to stick with David, it wasn't because of the gifts he could get him...although, that shopping trip _had_ been phenomenal.

"I didn't _buy_ him."

Kurt narrowed his eyes. "Well canaries aren't exactly _wild_ around here. And you said you couldn't conjure animals." Realizing that they were in public, potentially within earshot of people they knew, Kurt lowered his voice at the last moment.

"He's Pavarotti." Kurt stilled looked confused. "He's _the_ Pavarotti. _Your_ Pavarotti."

As Kurt realized what David was saying, his eyes went wide. "I have a zombie canary?"

"He's one hundred percent alive, Kurt. I promise you. I don't so shit half-assed." Kurt threw his arms around David and locked them there in a death grip for a minute before he realized David still wasn't 'out.'

"Thank you so much, David. Oh my god…I cannot believe you _resurrected _Pavarotti for me." David refrained from mentioning the grounding that went along with retrieving Kurt's feathery friend. "So…I _have_ been thinking about everything. I'm still a bit…_freaked out_…about what you told me. But I _understand_ that you couldn't really _tell_ me. I still need to be… _eased_ into all of this though."

"I get that, Kurt. Things don't have to be weird between us. I've hid what I am from mortals my entire life; if you want, we can pretend I _am_ normal. And I'm still who I've _always_ been…you just know _more_ about me now." Kurt sort of agreed with that sentiment, on the surface at least.

"You really _aren't_ the same person you've always been. I've seen you grow up _so_ much in the past year. You _do_ keep changing, but always for the better."

David smiled. "I've never had a reason to change for the better or be motivated before. Then you came along." Checking that the halls were clear, David cupped Kurt's cheek in his hand and pulled him close for a quick kiss. "I have to go now, I only had permission to be here to talk to Bieste and Ms. P. I'll see you Thursday?" Kurt, light-headed and feeling better than he had in a while, more sure of things than he had felt in a while, nodded mutely.

xoxoxo

Leaving McKinley, David headed off towards his nana's nursery. Both his mother and grandmother were working there today. They were scheduled to be cleaning up the last of the pumpkins that didn't sell during Halloween to make room for the evergreens they would be bringing in at the end of November.

That's what they were _supposed_ to be doing. Instead, he found Sophie and Demetria sitting at a table near the cash register, his grandmother giving his mother a manicure. There was a small bottle of beige nail polish with gold flecks in it next to his grandmother's elbow. It wasn't opened yet; his nana was still filing Sophie's nails. "Why are you bothering? They're just going to get messed up when you two get back to work."

His grandmother waived her hand dismissively. "Meh. You'll be here the next two days, you can take care of the last of the pumpkins and squashes."

"Oh, come on. Who volunteered me for _that_?"

"You're suspended from school, you might as well do _something_ useful. Besides, the pumpkins and squashes that the food pantries can't use are going to _your_ goats."

David sat down beside his grandmother, across from his mom. He really couldn't argue with that logic. "Fine. But I need to talk to the two of you." They both looked up from Sophie's nails, even as Demetria continued to buff them smooth. "It's something really important and…" David wasn't sure how to continue. He had constructed a script in his mind, but now that the moment was upon him, he had forgotten everything he wanted to say. "Mom, Nana…I'm…I'm in love." His mom was positively beaming. Demetria looked more cautious. "I…I'm _gay_."

His mother's face collapsed. "I'm not going to get grandchildren?" Demetria swatted Sophie's hand as she got up and left the table, headed towards one of the back rooms.

David watched his grandmother leave, _abandon him_, and then faced his mother, again. "I don't know…I've never really _thought_ about kids. Even if I _weren't_ gay…"

"It's not Poseidon, is it?"

"What? God no, Mom. That's creepy!" Although, it wouldn't be the first time something like that happened. Poseidon was probably the most sexually liberated of his relatives. He had affairs (both with and without his partners' consent) with boys, girls, men, women, gods, goddesses, monsters, mortals, nymphs, fish…basically anything with a hole was fair game to Poseidon. "It's a mortal human."

"That's even _worse_." His mother's sobs prevented him from responding. She wasn't listening, just shaking her head, blocking him out.

Demetria came back a moment later, holding a plant: a lily. She placed it in front of David. "David, tell me how this flower reproduces."

"I…_what_?"

"Tell me how it reproduces. You've worked here most your life. How does a lily reproduce? Or a rose? Or a…Sophie I swear if you do _not_ stop your sniffling I will send you to your father."

David watched as his mother just turned away from them both. "I…the bees feed off the pollen in the flowers and then when they move to another flower they…" He had never really thought about it before. His mother and grandmother took care of most of the stuff like that…there were a few things he had picked up over the years, but he'd never really considered it too much. "I have no idea."

His grandmother stroked the daylily tenderly. "My favorite flowers, the most beautiful of my babies, possess all the male and female parts: stamens, carpals, and ovaries. They are referred to as bisexual flowers…or, depending on whom you talk to, _perfect_ flowers. I understand that there is a difference between being hermaphroditic and being homosexual…but why would I hold my grandson to higher standards than I hold my _own_ babies?"

David smiled. "Thank you, grandma." David turned to his mother; she wouldn't look at him.

"Sophie. I think your son needs you."

Shaking her head again, Sophie got up and left.

xoxoxo

There were certain universal truths in life that David took for granted:

1) One plus one equals two

2) No matter how unlikely, Rule 34 was _always_ true

3) Sandwiches taste better cut on the diagonal, especially in quarters

4) His dad did not yell… _ever_

Paul was quite likely the calmest, most mellow person David had ever met. He didn't yell; if he wanted you to feel bad or upset or guilty about something, he got quiet, and disappointed sounding. It was infinitely worse than being yelled at; when you were yelled at, you could get defensive, you couldn't o that with someone who was just…_disappointed_. But this particular universal truth was proving itself to be false. His parents had been arguing – about him – since his dad had gotten home from work.

It was almost his parent's usual bedtime and they were still going at it. David could only hear a few random words here and there, but he knew exactly what their arguments were. His father argued that David was his own person, could and _should_ live his own life and as his parents it was their job to make sure he was happy, healthy and well adjusted and to support him no matter what. His mother argued that it was wrong for David to like men (since the goddess of _love_ decided it was wrong), that she wanted grandchildren and a daughter-in-law, David was only going through a rebellious phase as he had for the past two years and no good could ever come from dating a mortal. Paul countered that last point by arguing that Sophie would have thrown a party if David came home with a mortal _girl_…as she had _tried_ to do when David dated Santana.

David buried his head under his pillow and cried into Homer's fur as he went to sleep.

**xoxoxo**

**Those we've met so far:**

**David – son of Hades and Persephone**

**Paul – Hades (Pluto in Latin), god of the underworld and wealth (the Greeks believed that since precious jewels and metals came from underground that they were part of Hades realm)**

**Sophie – Persephone/Kore (Proserpina in Latin), goddess of spring and queen of the underworld**

**Aaron – Eros (Cupid in Latin), god of love**

**Sarah – Psyche (Psyche in Latin), goddess of the soul**

**Homer – an old rat David befriended in the Underworld**

**Aphrodite – (Venus in Latin) Goddess of love and beauty**

**Harry – Hermes (Mercury in Latin) Messenger of the gods and escort of souls to the Underworld**

**Apollo – (Apollo in Latin) God of the sun, medicine, knowledge, music, and poetry**

**Demetria – Demeter (Ceres in Latin) Goddess of the harvest and seasons**

**Zeus – (Jupiter in Latin) King of the gods and god of the sky **

**Hera – (Juno in Latin) Queen of the gods and goddess of Marriage, women and birth**

**Morpheus – (Morpheus in Latin) god of dreams**

**Icelus – (couldn't find an accurate Latin variation) – god of nightmares**

**Artemis – (Diana in Latin) goddess of the hunt, wilderness, the moon**

**Priapus – (Mutunus Tutunus in Latin) minor god of fertility, gardens and male genitalia (he's also the reason you should call your doctor if you have an erection lasting longer than 3 hours…lol)**


	28. Hedone

He felt like shit when he woke up. He had a headache, his muscles were all sore, his face felt puffy, and his jaw throbbed. Homer's fur was all matted from David's tears and, likely, his snot as well. When David got up, Homer immediately set to grooming himself. Running his fingers through his own cow-licked hair, David opened his bedroom door and headed downstairs. Coffee would cure all.

Standing in front of the oven, stirring a mixing bowl, was the single most gorgeous girl David had ever seen. If he were straight, he was certain he would be on his knees begging her to let him have his way with her. Her hair was a soft brunette, with perfect highlights, bust-length with loose curls. Her skin was gorgeously tanned: completely natural. Perfectly round breasts were clothed in a white, off the shoulder crop top and a matching white peasant skirt hung off her wide, child-bearing (as his grandmother called them) hips. She only came up to David's shoulders but her confidence made her seem to match David's height. "Hi…who are you?"

Heavily lashed, warm brown eyes locked with David's. "I'm Eros and Psyche's daughter."

"_Hedone_ – goddess of sexual pleasure." Shaking his head, David rolled his eyes and looked away. "My _mother_ sent you didn't she?"

He could feel tiny, gentle fingers running seductively down his bare arm. He was suddenly very self-conscious of the fact that he was more or less naked aside from his boxer shorts. "She asked me to come. She said you were confused and needed some… _help_."

Shaking her hand off, David pulled away and moved out of her reach. "I'm _not_ confused and I _don't_ need help."

"Oh, you may not be _confused_, but you _do_ need help. Don't worry, David; I have no intentions of attempting to 'convert' you. I may be closer to my grandmother, but I have great respect for my father's work. And he did a _good_ job on you."

David peeked up at her from the corner of his eyes. She _seemed_ sincere. "If you have no intention of trying to turn me straight, how do you plan on 'helping' me?" Hedone just smiled devilishly.

xoxoxo

David sat on the countertop by the stove while Hedone cleaned up after herself in the kitchen. David had liberated her of the brownie mix she had been stirring and was currently sucking on the chocolaty spatula. Hedone had correctly guessed that David had something of a food-fetish. Although being the goddess of sexual _pleasures_ it wasn't too surprising that she had known before she even met him how much of a whore he was for raw cake, cookie, and brownie batter. Hell, even pancake batter in small doses. "So, how do you plan on _helping_ me?"

Hedone tried taking the spatula away from David; David twisted on the counter so that it was out of her reach and the mixing bowl was safely tucked between his arms and his chest. "I'm the goddess of sexual delights, but I'm also something of an _expert_ on sexual attraction. I'm going to make you the hottest piece of ass that boy has ever seen."

_That_ caught David's attention. Sheepishly setting aside the brownie mix next to him, David wrapped his arms around his torso defensively. "I know I can stand to lose a pound or two, and I _have_ been trying…but, my self control sucks."

"Believe me hon, abs of steel are _lovely_ to look at…for a minute, but some people _much_ prefer a bit of cushioning to cuddle them at night. Your body is _just_ fine."

David smiled lopsidedly, his cheeks pinking slightly. A _sex_ goddess had just complemented him…kind of. "So what _do_ we need to do?"

"Not all sexual attraction is _physical_ attraction. What _other_ guys has Kurt lusted after?"

"Finn," That was the obvious one; he didn't even need to think about it. "Blaine and Sam."

"Mm-hmm. And what do these three beaus have in common?"

"They each weigh about thirty pounds less than me…at _least_" Even Finn, with all his gargantuan height weighed less than Dave. Damn those assembly-line style physical fitness tests they had to take at the start of every football season. David would be _much_ happier not knowing Finn clocked in at less than two hundred pounds.

Taking the (almost) empty mixing bowl from David and tossing it, along with the spatula, into the sink. She sat on the counter opposite David and kicked him lightly in the ankle. "I've _already_ told you we aren't talking about physical attraction here. Why do you think he had the hots for them? Hmm?"

"They were all nice to him. Finn was…well, compared to the rest of the jocks he was nic_er_. Sam was going to sing a duet with him; Az and I were totally going to dumpster toss Sam if he'd gone through with it. And then Blaine was just his knight-in-glitter-armor."

"Ok, so we know _nice_ is a turn-on for Kurt. Would you describe yourself as nice?"

Dave shrugged. "I guess. I mean I _try_ and I'd say I'm pretty nice to him now." Kurt would definitely say David was nice, and David knew it, he just had difficulty forgiving himself for everything that had happened the beginning of junior year.

"Ok, what else about the other three guys?"

"They…I dunno." He didn't really know Sam or Blaine too well. He didn't know what they were into or what they were like. Except… _fuck_. "They're all in glee."

"Kurt is, as well?" David nodded. "I think it's safe to say singing is a turn-on for Kurt. Can you sing?" David nodded. He didn't like where this was going. It felt like she had conspired with Pavarotti. "Well, singing and 'nice' are very definitely turn-ons for Kurt, but you're missing another of his big turn-ons." David was silent, he tried to make it look like he was thinking about what it could be, but he was really thinking about whether or not he'd ever have the cojones to sing in public. "I'll give you a hint; it's one of the most common traits people look for in a man…and it's a huge bonus in the business world."

Dating stuff David wasn't too sure about, but, thanks to his dad, he knew business…and also knew that _this_ was going to be his weak point. "Confidence?"

Hedone made a shooting motion with her finger and thumb. "Bingo."

"Ugh. I'm royally _fucked_ in that department."

"Not… _completely_." Hedone bent over and lowered her hand so that it was parallel to the ground at ankle length. "This would probably be around the realm of 'insecure.'" She raised her hand up to her knee. "This is probably about timid or shy." Again, she raised her hand until it was by her belly button. "Let's call this self conscious." Now she raised her hand till it was in front of her breasts. "Normal." Her neckline, "Confident." Her eyes. "Arrogant." She raised her hand until it was as high as she could reach, "Hubris. We need to get you from here to here." She gestured to her belly button and then moved her hand to her neckline. "We need to take you from self-conscious to confident."

"How? I've been trying my whole life."

"Do you know what it _is_ that you're trying for? Have you ever felt confident in _anything?_"

David thought about it for a minute. "Football…but it took a while for me to feel confident about it. Dad _made_ me play for several years because I was really insecure about my weight. He thought getting me active would help me out. And math…I've always been good at math. Apollo blessed me there."

"Ok, so you obviously know the feeling that you're striving for. How do you think you could get there?"

"Practice…but I'm too chicken-shit to even try!" David hopped off the counter, his fingers laced behind his head as he paced back and forth across the kitchen.

"Well…isn't that the glory of being a god?" David paused and looked at her, his hands still behind his head. "We can _cheat_."

David lowered his arms slowly. "How?"

"How did the god of _animals_ become so good at _dream walking_?" It was a rhetorical question; she obviously already knew the answer. "You just…ask."

"I can…" As what she was saying dawned on him, his mouth hung open in surprise. "I can just _ask_. Why the hell didn't anyone ever tell me this?"

Hedone shrugged. "Because for some odd reason, your parents thought that treating you like a sheltered little mortal was _normal_. As if a god could _ever_ be normal."

David mentally ran through his family tree. There were gods, lesser deities and spirits of just about every emotion he could think of, but of course he had to draw a blank on confidence. "Who's the god of confidence?"

Hedone held up her index and middle finger. "There are two that _could_ definitely help you out. But only one that probably _would_. Confidence is just a type of courage…courage to be yourself no matter what anyone else thinks. My grandfather is the god of courage." Ares…Aphrodite's lover. As much as David liked Kevin Smith in _Hercules_, the real Ares wasn't much of a friend to his parents. "And Athena is the goddess of courage."

David smiled; this might actually work.

xoxoxo

Hedone stuck around for the rest of the day. She even helped Sophie cook, although David didn't come downstairs for dinner. While he really liked having Hedone around, he still didn't appreciate his mother sending for her.

There wasn't any yelling tonight from his parents. In fact, things were unusually quiet. Paul, being angry with his wife, had holed himself away in his office for the evening. Sophie just stayed on the first floor with Hedone. When bedtime came, Hedone and Sophie shared the master bedroom while Paul slept on the couch. It wasn't Sophie's decision; Paul was just too mad at her to be around her at the moment.

David sat on his bed and prayed aloud to Athena, begging her to come. Unlike Morpheus who had come to him as a dream vision, Athena came in the flesh. "Can I help you?" David's relatives never ceased to surprise him. He had pictured some scholarly nerd-type girl: complete with hipster glasses and a business suit…after all, she was the goddess of _wisdom_ first and foremost. But she appeared in desert combat fatigues…British according to the flag on her uniform.

"Hello, cousin Athena. I need to ask you a favor." She didn't say anything, just watched him, waiting for him to continue. "I need courage. Well, not courage really. Just self-confidence."

"Go on."

"There's this guy I really like…and he likes me too, only I'm afraid if I don't grow a pair, I'll lose him."

Athena smiled delicately at him, like she was setting him up for a great letdown. She sat at the end of his bed, removing her beret as she did so. "Gods _rarely_ give _those_ kinds of gifts. It's usually something that you work for on your own coupled with your environment. If you have a nurturing environment, you become self-confident…or arrogant. If you're constantly ridiculed and torn down…you become self-conscious."

"Kurt's been torn down his whole life…how come he's so confident?"

Athena didn't so much smile as suck in the corner of her lips. "He _worked_ for it. He constantly reminds himself of his abilities and his accomplishments. You? When you get torn down, you take people at their word. Ares and I _do_ give mortals…and gods…courage in short bursts. A fireman rushing into his first fire to save a child? That's us. A Good Samaritan seeing an innocent person being mugged and rushing to their rescue? Also us. It's usually only once, though. After that, it's all on them. Either they can see their own inherent abilities, or they can't."

"That's fine…that's all I want: just the _opportunity_ to know what it's like to do something I _know_ I'm good at and _want_ to do, without being afraid."

Athena sighed. "You_ are_ family…so I suppose I _could_ help you out. Though I'm much less interested in doing it for you than I am for your paramour." David cocked his head to the side. "I'm the goddess of crafts. I _like_ Kurt. He respects me enough to try almost all of my artistic delights at least once."

"So you'll do it? You'll help me out?"

Athena nodded. "Just once. You have _one_ day to prove to yourself that you are a person of value and worth. If you haven't figured it out by then, that's your own damn problem."

David smiled. "That'll be perfect…can it be Thursday?"

"You're a demanding little thing, aren't you?" David blushed. "No matter, I suppose you get it from your mother's side of the family. You have one day, David, from zero hundred hours on Thursday, to twenty four hundred hours on Thursday. I advice you use this time wisely; I'm giving you confidence, not a time machine. Anything you do during this time, I _cannot_ take back; you will have to live with the ramifications."

"That's fine. I already know _exactly_ what I'm going to do and now I have all the help I'll need to do it."

**xoxoxo**

**Those we've met so far:**

**David – son of Hades and Persephone**

**Paul – Hades (Pluto in Latin), god of the underworld and wealth (the Greeks believed that since precious jewels and metals came from underground that they were part of Hades realm)**

**Sophie – Persephone/Kore (Proserpina in Latin), goddess of spring and queen of the underworld**

**Aaron – Eros (Cupid in Latin), god of love**

**Sarah – Psyche (Psyche in Latin), goddess of the soul**

**Homer – an old rat David befriended in the Underworld**

**Aphrodite – (Venus in Latin) Goddess of love and beauty**

**Harry – Hermes (Mercury in Latin) Messenger of the gods and escort of souls to the Underworld**

**Apollo – (Apollo in Latin) God of the sun, medicine, knowledge, music, and poetry**

**Demetria – Demeter (Ceres in Latin) Goddess of the harvest and seasons**

**Zeus – (Jupiter in Latin) King of the gods and god of the sky **

**Hera – (Juno in Latin) Queen of the gods and goddess of Marriage, women and birth**

**Morpheus – (Morpheus in Latin) god of dreams**

**Icelus – (couldn't find an accurate Latin variation) – god of nightmares**

**Artemis – (Diana in Latin) goddess of the hunt, wilderness, the moon**

**Priapus – (Mutunus Tutunus in Latin) minor god of fertility, gardens and male genitalia (he's also the reason you should call your doctor if you have an erection lasting longer than 3 hours…lol)**

**Hedone – (Voluptas in Latin) goddess of sexual pleasure and bliss**


	29. Sophie

**So, if you've had the pleasure of seeing the latest episode of Glee, I'm sorry to say that this won't serve as much of a "pick-me-up." As the Trevor Project says though, It Gets Better. And on a side note, baby Karofsky may very well be the cutest fucking thing I have EVER seen!**

**xoxoxo**

Sophie stood on a beach on an island in Turks and Caicos. She felt horribly out of place in her ratty jeans and dirty t-shirt, but she intended to go straight to the nursery once she was done here. Now that her mother was mad at her, it was making work very slow going and they still had a lot to do before they could switch over to evergreens, kissing balls and wreaths for Christmas.

There was only one way to end the strife in her family and it was currently tanning by the surf while sipping a Scorpion Bowl. Not something Sophie had ever pictured as a beach drink, but she wasn't going to say anything that might draw Aphrodite's scorn. "Hello, Di."

Aphrodite dipped her shades so that her pale blue eyes were visible. "Hello, Sophie. Long time, no see." Aphrodite re-placed her shades and went back to her drink as though Sophie had never come.

"I need to ask you for a favor." Sophie held her hands together and nervously folded and unfolded her fingers together while she awaited any sign that Di was listening to her.

Di continued sipping her Scorpion Bowl through the straw, her expression blank. After long, agonizing moments, Aphrodite responded. "I see my dear Hedone had no effect on your precious little spawn?"

"Please, Aphrodite. This is destroying my family, you have to undo it." Sophie clasped her hands together firmly and bent forward slightly, supplicating herself to Aphrodite.

Di tilted her sunglasses again; meeting Sophie's desperate pleas with a stern glare. "I don't _have_ to do anything. Your family causes me _nothing_ but trouble."

"Please, Di. I'm the goddess of spring; you're the goddess of love. We should be _allies_, not enemies." Sophie lowered herself next to Aphrodite's beach chair, quite literally begging on her knees.

"Marc Antony and Cleopatra. Mumtaz Mahal and Shah Jahan. Pyramus and Thisbe. Paolo and Francesca. Orpheus and Eurydice. Poe and Clemm. Do these names mean anything to you?" Sophie nodded, of course she knew who they were. "My greatest works of art: all destroyed by _your_ husband…_without_ mercy."

"He has no _choice_, Di. There _must_ be death in order for there to be life. And their love is forever united in the Underworld."

"Of which I have no domain!" Sophie fell backwards at Aphrodite's outburst. She looked furious. "And _you_! You are no better than him! You deprive me of my favorite son by helping that whore wife of his snag him. And to add insult to injury, you take my beloved Adonis from me. Adonis loved _me_ better."

Sophie bit back her desire to ask her why Adonis _chose_ to make the Underworld his home even though he was a god now if he loved Aphrodite so much. It was a platonic love; Adonis was the closest thing Sophie and Paul ever had to a child until David came along, but he could be no substitute for the real thing: the one she was trying to cure right now. "Please, I _beg_ you Aphrodite. I _know_ you hate me _and_ my husband, but what has my _son_ ever done to you?"

"That hell spawn of yours is _not_ my concern. He may as well not exist as far as I'm concerned. I have nothing to do with this insanity."

"If you didn't make him gay, then-"

"Talk to that son of mine." Aphrodite once again returned her sunglasses to her eyes, effectively ending the conversation.

xoxoxo

David was sitting cross-legged on his bed, listening to the same song on repeat through his headphones as he followed the lyrics on the computer screen. His bedroom door was partially open and out of the corner of his eye he could see his mother standing there, not saying anything just watching him. After a moment, he paused the music. His mother continued standing there, silently. He knew from past experience that she sometimes did that when he was asleep, but this was the first time he'd caught her doing it while he was awake. "What do _you_ want?"

"I get that you're mad with me, David, but I'm still your mother. Watch the attitude." Sophie came in and sat at David's desk chair. "I want to talk to you."

"Yeah, well I don't really want to talk to you right now and I'm kind of busy."

"We _are_ going to talk, David. Homer, please leave us." Homer stopped cleaning his whiskers and looked between David and Sophie. After a few tense moments, his fear of an angry Sophie won out over his loyalty to David and he shuffled out of David's room, throwing apologetic looks over his shoulder at David every few steps. When he was outside the door, Sophie nudged it closed. "We can talk to Eros. We can fix this."

David slammed his laptop closed. "I don't _want_ to fix this!" He pulled his headphones off, getting the cord caught on his ear as he did so, making him even angrier. "For the first goddamned time in my life I know _who_ I am and _what_ I want and what it will _take_ to make me _happy_. I won't let _you_ take that away from me!"

"You're _seventeen,_ David. You know _nothing_. Your depression is just part of being a teenager. Almost all mortals go through it at one point or another. You'll get over it. And someday you will meet a nice girl, settle down…"

"What the fuck, Mom? Can't you, for half a second, even _entertain _the thought that I might _possibly_ be happy like this? Aaron said my best odds of falling in love were with a guy. _That's_ why he made me gay."

"He's the god of love! He can make you fall in love with _anyone_." Sophie moved closer to David. He could see her hand flinch, like she was going to try and reach out to him but thought better of it at the last moment. He shifted his nearest limb away from her just in case she made a second attempt.

"There's a difference between falling in love and falling in love and being _happy_ in that relationship. Look at Zeus and Hera. They 'love' each other but they aren't friends, they aren't happy with each other, they don't enjoy each other's company; they're _miserable_. Not everyone you're capable of loving is capable of making you happy."

"David, there are so many things _wrong_ with this."

"Oh _do_ go on. I'd love to hear this. As if I don't hear enough shit about how I'm probably going to go to hell from the conservatives on TV. We're coming up on an election year; every time I turn on the news I have some republican nominee, who makes _Zeus_ look celibate, telling me that _I'm_ an abomination, that _I'm_ trying to ruin the sanctity of marriage. I don't need this shit at home as well. "

"Well, that first and foremost." David rolled his eyes and collapsed back on his bed, covering his head with his pillow. "Not the part about hell. But you're going to be ostracized your entire life David. Is it really _worth_ it? You've seen what bullies can be like, you've been bullied your entire life. Most children eventually grow out of bullying; few people grow out of being bigots and they are _far_ worse than bullies, David. They will make your life hell."

David didn't even bother to pull the pillow off his head. "So what, you're just helping me get practice at being harassed by bigots? You aren't doing a whole lot to help me at all, mom."

To Sophie, that stung. Why couldn't he see how much this hurt her, how his stubborn bullheadedness was going to force her to see her baby suffer the rest of his life? "I'm not bullying you, David. I'm trying to make you see reason."

"This has nothing to do with reason. This has everything to do with _you_ wanting grandkids and a daughter-in-law and a son that's normal. Whatever happened to me being special and better than the other kids?"

"Sometimes normal _is_ better."

David sat up, clutching the pillow in his lap. "Ok, you want us to talk? Well that requires you _listening_." Sophie opened her mouth to speak but David beat her to it. "You want grandkids? Well that's probably _not_ going to happen. I don't _want_ kids. I don't _like_ humans, why the _hell_ would I want to bring more of them into the world? If… _someday_…I change my mind, there are other options out there for me. If Pasiphaë could have a child with a bull, I think there are options out there for a gay god. You want a daughter-in-law? Spend more time with Sarah; she fucking adores you. Or Hedone. She's pretty cool. Yes, I'm aware people will harass me for the Fates only know how long, but you being a homophobic bigot isn't going to change the world any faster."

"David, you're _seventeen._ You have no idea what you're going to want a few years down the line. Why make your life more difficult than it has to be?"

David thought for a few minutes. None of his arguments seemed to be getting through to her. "You're right, mom. I _don't_ know what I'll want in a few years." Sophie slowly smiled, thinking she'd brought David to his senses. "But what's wrong with me knowing what I want _right now_ and going for it? You were thirteen when you and Dad fell in love and, against all odds that worked out pretty well for you two. And I _know_ it's going to be rough going for me, but why can't you just stand by me and _support_ me? My entire _life_ has been rough going and you've been there for me. Why not this time?"

Sophie shook her head. "You couldn't _control_ how hard it was for you to relate to other children. But you have the _choice_ as to whether or not things are difficult for you _now_. Why would you _choose_ this?"

"I _didn't_ choose this. But, at the same time, I'm not going to fight it. I'm happy. Why can't you just accept that?"

Still shaking her head, Sophie stood up. "I can't_ accept_ it. But I can live with it. Just don't expect me to be the one to comfort you every time you're faced with prejudice."

"It wouldn't be a problem if it weren't coming from my own mother." He could hear his mother let out a beleaguered sigh as she left, leaving the door slightly open so that Homer could come back in.

With less than a day before David was back in school, he returned to his music. A few minutes later, Homer scuttled up into David's lap and nuzzled against his side.

**xoxoxo**

**Those we've met so far:**

**David – son of Hades and Persephone**

**Paul – Hades (Pluto in Latin), god of the underworld and wealth (the Greeks believed that since precious jewels and metals came from underground that they were part of Hades realm)**

**Sophie – Persephone/Kore (Proserpina in Latin), goddess of spring and queen of the underworld**

**Aaron – Eros (Cupid in Latin), god of love**

**Sarah – Psyche (Psyche in Latin), goddess of the soul**

**Homer – an old rat David befriended in the Underworld**

**Di – Aphrodite (Venus in Latin) Goddess of love and beauty**

**Harry – Hermes (Mercury in Latin) Messenger of the gods and escort of souls to the Underworld**

**Apollo – (Apollo in Latin) God of the sun, medicine, knowledge, music, and poetry**

**Demetria – Demeter (Ceres in Latin) Goddess of the harvest and seasons**

**Zeus – (Jupiter in Latin) King of the gods and god of the sky **

**Hera – (Juno in Latin) Queen of the gods and goddess of Marriage, women and birth**

**Morpheus – (Morpheus in Latin) god of dreams**

**Icelus – (couldn't find an accurate Latin variation) – god of nightmares**

**Artemis – (Diana in Latin) goddess of the hunt, wilderness, the moon**

**Priapus – (Mutunus Tutunus in Latin) minor god of fertility, gardens and male genitalia (he's also the reason you should call your doctor if you have an erection lasting longer than 3 hours…lol)**

**Hedone – (Voluptas in Latin) goddess of sexual pleasure, bliss, **


	30. Strong Enough

They say that the clothes make the man, but for the life of him, Kurt couldn't pinpoint what was so different about David. He had on jeans, his letterman and sneakers: nothing too different than what he normally wore. Yes, the clothes were a bit cleaner than Kurt was accustomed to, but it couldn't possibly explain the subtle radiance that seemed to envelope David.

Kurt watched David curiously as he continued down the hall, smiling at some acquaintances, nodding affably at others. He was smiling, that had to be it. And his posture…he wasn't scrunched in on himself, with his shoulders pulled tightly forward, his back hunched. His back was straight, his shoulders squared off nicely, his chest even seemed puffed out slightly. He looked _good_. Kurt tucked a stray strand of hair behind his ear just as David caught his eye. David smiled at Kurt, his teeth showing and dimples indenting his cheeks. Kurt felt his heart speed up a bit until David _winked_ at him; then he was certain that his heart _stopped_.

David propped himself against a locker next to Kurt's own. "Sup, Hummel?"

Kurt leaned forward slightly, trying to be subtly flirtatious. "Not much. You?"

David shrugged. "Meh, not much. Look, I gotta talk to Coach Bieste about some left-over stuff from my meeting with her on Monday. Can I talk to you later?" Kurt nodded, not trusting himself not to drool at the intensity of David's gaze. "What are you up to for lunch, today? I figured maybe if you weren't doing anything special we could have some sandwiches in my truck or something." David's tongue peeked out from between his lips, drawing Kurt's attention.

"That sounds…that sounds _good_."

"Awesome." David nodded again and pushed himself off the locker. "See ya, Fancy." Kurt watched David continue down the hall, his eyes instantly drawn to David's butt. His pants must have been a tighter fit than normal; his jeans perfectly accentuated the curves of his tush. The sudden realization that David was his _boyfriend_ dawned on Kurt. David was _his_; he could _touch_ that tush if he wanted to. A bit of giddiness overcame Kurt and he had to drag himself out of his daydreams so he wouldn't be late to class.

xoxoxo

In lieu of a generic gym class, the first and second-string football players had an extra practice under Coach Bieste fourth period. Some days they would jog and do stretches, some days they would do stretches and aerobics, and some days they would do stretches and weight lifting. No matter the day, Coach made sure that they stayed fit and active; even when David had busted his shoulder she had talked to his general practitioner to get the go-ahead on what types of activities he _could_ do. That's why all of the football players were surprised when they saw the sign hanging on the locker room door: _**No practice today. Go to the auditorium**_.

Finn and Puck exchanged looks of confusion. Mr. Schuester had also asked the glee club to meet him in the auditorium fourth period, but had told the football-playing glee kids to stick with Coach.

"Oh man, please tell me she didn't bring in a guest speaker on proper equipment maintenance again." A few of the jocks groaned at the memory of their last guest speaker.

"Nah, I was by the auditorium earlier: the glee losers have it booked today." The groans from the jocks got louder and more aggressive.

Finn, Mike, Puck, Sam, and Artie led the jocks' way to the auditorium while they made guesses as to what Coach Bieste had planned. "I swear, if this is another one of those 'getting to know you' shit things with the glee club, I _will_ have to punch someone."

"Bieste doesn't think we're going to perform at our own half-time show again, does she?" More groans.

As the football team entered the auditorium from the right-hand door, they spotted the glee club already sitting interspersed throughout the center section of seats. The glee club turned and looked at the jocks as they made their way down the aisles. "What are _they_ doing here?"

"We have no idea." Finn crab-walked down the row of chairs until he was seated next to his girlfriend. He put his arm around her and placed a sweet kiss on her lips. "Coach just told us to show up, so here we are."

"Yeah, Mr. Schuester pulled us from class, said there was a performance we needed to see." Rachel, Artie and Santana surveyed all the students, jocks and gleeks, sitting in the auditorium.

"Everyone from the glee club is seated, so it isn't any of the New Directions."

"Yeah, and all of the football players are here, so it isn't any of them."

Artie was still looking over all of the jocks, pointing at them each, one at a time, while his lips moved, counting off each player. "No, there should be twenty two jocks; there's only twenty and Kramer is absent."

Kurt was fairly certain he was the only one who noticed David missing from the auditorium, mostly because that was the _first_ face he searched out. He could feel the giddy swooning sensation all over again. David was going to _sing_! Kurt grabbed Mercedes' hand and gave it a squeeze. He turned to face Mercedes and smiled broadly at her. Mercedes smiled indulgently at him and rolled her eyes.

The curtains on stage pulled back just enough to reveal Will Schuester, Emma Pillsbury and Shannon Bieste. "Hello ladies and gentlemen. I'm sure most of you are wondering what you're doing here." Kurt felt bad for Mr. Schue. The man clearly had no idea how many of the jocks were glaring at him with unrestrained contempt.

Coach Bieste obviously did. "I want _all_ of you to be on your best behavior. We're here to support a _teammate_ and if any of you are anything _less_ than supportive, you and I can have a nice private talk about your future in _team_ sports."

Mrs. Pillsbury, Coach Bieste and Mr. Schuester evacuated the stage and joined their students in the audience. The stage curtains parted the rest of the way revealing David and the jazz band. Kurt squeezed Mercedes' hand even harder, prompting her to pull away from him. "Calm down Kurt." She leaned in close to Kurt and whispered in his ear. "It's not like he's going to serenade you or anything."

The jazz band started up with a rock type beat. David clutched the microphone, his hands cupped around the head of it.

_When dreaming I'm guided to another world _

_Time and time agai-ai-ai-ain_

Kurt let out a very undignified squeak and grabbed Mercedes' hand again. "Wanna bet?"

_At sunrise I fight to stay asleep _

_'Cause I don't want to leave the comfort of this place_

_'Cause there's a hunger, a-longing to escape _

_From the life I live when I'm awake_

It was _their_ song. They had a _song_! There wasn't a more perfect song out there for Kurt and David. It perfectly summarized the way he felt every time he woke up from one of his Dave-dreams.

David tapped his foot in time with the beat, making perfect eye contact with the audience. He had a dark, passionate look to him that made Kurt's heart hammer painfully.

_So, let's go there _

_Let's make our escape_

_Come on; let's go there_

_Let's ask can we stay?_

As his voice rose in intensity, he pulled the microphone away and held it one handed.

_Can you take me higher?_

_To a place where blind men see _

_Can you take me higher? _

_To a place with golden streets_

The volume and intensity of the band died down again as the first chorus ended. David's singing once again became soft and sultry.

_Although I would like our world to change _

_It helps me to appreciate _

_Those nights and those dreams_

_But, my friend, I'd sacrifice all those nights _

_If I could make the Earth and my drea-ea-eams the same _

_The only difference is _

_To let love replace all our hate _

_So, let's go there _

_Let's make our escape_

_Come on; let's go there_

_Let's ask can we stay?_

_Can you take me Higher?_

_To a place where blind men see _

_Can you take me Higher? _

_To a place with golden streets_

_So lets go there, lets go there,_

_Come on; let's go there_

_Lets ask can we stay?_

The band went into an instrumental solo. David turned around and grabbed a glass of water off the piano and downed it. As the vocal portion of the song started back up again, David remained with his back to the audience. You could see his microphone-free hand working at the metal snaps of his letterman, undoing the buttons.

_Up high I feel like I'm alive for the very first time_

_Set up high I'm strong enough to take these dreams_

_And make them mine _

David shrugged out of his letterman, letting it drop to the floor revealing a tight-fitting black t-shirt. Turning back around for the second part of the verse, David revealed his t-shirt was an inverted version of the New Directions' "Born This Way" t-shirts: white lettering on a black shirt. More specifically, it was his own version of _Kurt's_ "Born This Way" t-shirt, boldly stating in bright white letters: _**Likes Guys**_.

_Set up high I'm strong enough to take these dreams_

_And make them mine_

Kurt was almost deaf to the confused, angry, and disgusted murmurs of the jocks. The entire world seemed to disappear from around him as David finished off the last two rounds of chorus.

_Can you take me Higher?_

_To a place where blind men see _

_Can you take me Higher? _

_To a place with golden streets_

_Can you take me Higher?_

_To a place where blind men see _

_Can you take me Higher? _

_To a place with golden streets_

David placed the microphone into its stand and hopped down off the stage. Not caring about how his own friends would react, Kurt stood up and rushed into the side aisle, almost tripping over his stepbrother in the process. Kurt threw himself into David's arms, kissing him firmly on the lips as he did so. Kurt rubbed his hand over David's cheek as he felt David's hand rubbing the small of his back. "I love you so much."

"Come on, let's go get an early lunch."

xoxoxo

"There's no way I'm changing in front of a fucking _faggot_."

Puck turned around to face the outburst. "Watch your goddamned tongue or Karofsky's gonna be the _last_ of your problems. You'll have to protect your ass from _me._" Finn nodded, agreeing with Puck. He still wasn't sure how he felt about Karofsky being gay, but Kurt was his _brother_; he wasn't going to sit by and let _anyone_ use hateful language like that, no matter _whom_ they were talking about.

Coach shook her head, disappointed at the negative response from the non-glee jocks. "I'm not going to _make_ you be on the football team with a homosexual. You're always more than welcome to pack your bags."

"That's messed up, Coach. Why the hell should a dozen of us have to quit the football team because of one damn fairy?"

"WATCH YOUR LANGUAGE!" Even Ms. Pillsbury flinched away from Coach's outburst. "This is your _teammate_. Like I said, I ain't gonna make _any_ of you do anything you don't want to do. It's up to you; either you don't want to play with a homosexual so you quit, or you want to play so you deal with it. I'm not making Karofsky leave the team because of some shit he's had to deal with _his…whole…life_." Shannon was gripping the back of one of the auditorium chairs until her knuckles turned white.

Placing a comforting hand over Bieste's, Ms. Pillsbury spoke up. "Your coach is correct. 'Gay' isn't something that _just_ happens. David's been gay his entire life. It hasn't been a problem for any of you until you found out. Why should things be different now?"

"Ignorance is bliss. None of us knew he was probably checking us out the whole damn time. Now that we know, we ain't comfortable with that shit."

"No one wants to check out your fat, pasty ass Strando. Girls don't even like you, why the hell do you think Karofsky would?" Santana turned around to face him, her bitch-face firmly plastered in place. "'Sides, Karofsky isn't interested in beefy or even manly-men jocks. He likes little, effeminate and cute like Kurt…and Evans." Sam shot Santana a look of mild panic; she shrugged like it wasn't a big deal. "Sorry, guppy-lips. He likes your nice tight little ass. He isn't going to go after it or anything; he's been going after Kurt for so long, there is no way in hell he's going to do anything to mess up a good thing now that he's got it."

"How long have _you_ known he was gay."

"Uh, hello? Resident lesbian and recently out-and-proud, happy-homo just _happened_ to date? I _know_. You can't keep this stuff from me."

"Why are _we_ here, Mr. Schue? Does Karofsky want to join glee?"

Mr. Schuester nodded at Tina. "That's up to New Directions. Do we think he's good enough?"

"Well, he can _obviously_ sing." New Directions (and even a few of the Titans) nodded, agreeing with Quinn. "But he was kind of stiff up there. We already have one rock-star wannabe that can sing but has no moves. No offense Finn."

"You're only saying that because you didn't really get a chance to see him at zombie boot-camp too much last year, Quinn. He's got some awesome moves on him." Coming from Mike, that was high-praise. A couple of the other gleeks that could remember Karofsky's moves last year agreed with Mike's appraisal.

"Alright. So Karofsky's the newest member of New Directions." Mr. Schuester clapped his hands together, celebrating their new member who was now halfway home with Kurt.

"That just leaves one issue, how many of you are sticking by Karofsky, and how many of you are quitting the Titans?"

xoxoxo

David hadn't even finished parking his truck before Kurt climbed into his lap and started kissing every inch of David's face that he could reach. David moaned wantonly under Kurt's touches. "I _cannot_…**believe** you did that." Kurt kissed the underside of David's jaw. "You seem so… _different_."

"It's an illusion."

Kurt wasn't really paying too much attention, more focused on finding parts of David's face he hadn't kissed so far. "Huh?"

"Athena gave me courage for _one day_. I don't know what's going to happen tomorrow."

Kurt pulled back slightly. "What do you mean?"

"Athena blessed me with courage. Hopefully, everything will go well and I'll have my _own_ courage from now on. If not…I'm not just going to _back out_ of joining glee-"

"You're joining glee?"

David nodded. "If they'll have me. But if I'm back to being a coward tomorrow, I'm going to need your support. I'm going to need you to force me to perform until I'm comfortable doing it on my own."

Kurt flashed back to his reservations about having a high-maintenance boyfriend. He had helped David come this far; he could keep helping him. "Ok. But you better make it worth my while."

David ducked his lips into the crook of Kurt's neck, placing a wet, passionate kiss there, sucking the skin between his lips for a moment. "Anything you want. I am _yours_."

"Ok. Come on, let's go eat."

As David unlocked the front door, Kurt felt his butt buzz. Pulling out his phone, he looked at the text from Finn:

_Karofskys in glee club. Im not going 2 tell Burt _

_about u 2 but u bettr talk 2 me about this. K?_

"Hey, Dave, guess what?" David smiled down at Kurt as he pushed open the front door. "You're in New Directions!"

xoxoxo

"So, now that your out, loud and proud at school…does that mean you told your mom and grandma?" Kurt sipped at his tea. Even if David had horrible taste in hot drinks, there were still some acceptable options in the house.

Sucking in his bottom lip, David nodded. "I told them both on Monday."

Kurt squeaked for the second time that day. "I'm so happy for you. Oh my god… '_gods'_. That's phenomenal. How did it go?" Kurt held David's hands in his own, searching his face raptly. David didn't return his look; instead he just sipped his coffee. Kurt scrunched up his face apologetically, "That well?" Kurt stroked the back of David's hand with his fingers.

"My nana was completely fine with it. My mother…" David sighed while he collected his thoughts. "My parents aren't really talking to each other; my mother cries almost every time she looks at me, she even sent a sex goddess to try and convert me."

"Oh, David. I'm _so_ sorry."

"It's fine. She doesn't want to accept it, but she's promised to deal with it. Doesn't mean she doesn't make snide comments every time she sees me."

"I'm sure everything will turn out alright, David. The fact that she's _remaining_ a part of your life just shows that she _does_ love you. Give her time; she'll get used to it. She has hundreds of _millions_ of years to get used to it."

"Can we not talk about her right now, Kurt? I'm just so glad that everything is out in the open now. Now I can hold your hand in the halls-"

"-Kiss me in the halls."

"Take you out for dinner at Breadstix-"

"-Kiss me at Breadstix."

"Eat with you in the cafeteria-"

"-Kiss me in the cafeteria."

"Take you to romantic movies-"

"-Kiss me at romantic movies."

David laughed. "I'm sensing a pattern here. Would you like me to kiss you right now?"

"I think I'd like that." David leaned across the island counter where he had been preparing lunch sandwiches, meeting Kurt in the middle. Kurt tilted his head to the side, meeting David's lips with his own.

**xoxoxo**

"**Higher" by Creed**

**Those we've met so far:**

**David – son of Hades and Persephone**

**Paul – Hades (Pluto in Latin), god of the underworld and wealth (the Greeks believed that since precious jewels and metals came from underground that they were part of Hades realm)**

**Sophie – Persephone/Kore (Proserpina in Latin), goddess of spring and queen of the underworld**

**Aaron – Eros (Cupid in Latin), god of love**

**Sarah – Psyche (Psyche in Latin), goddess of the soul**

**Homer – an old rat David befriended in the Underworld**

**Di – Aphrodite (Venus in Latin) Goddess of love and beauty**

**Harry – Hermes (Mercury in Latin) Messenger of the gods and escort of souls to the Underworld**

**Apollo – (Apollo in Latin) God of the sun, medicine, knowledge, music, and poetry**

**Demetria – Demeter (Ceres in Latin) Goddess of the harvest and seasons**

**Zeus – (Jupiter in Latin) King of the gods and god of the sky **

**Hera – (Juno in Latin) Queen of the gods and goddess of Marriage, women and birth**

**Morpheus – (Morpheus in Latin) god of dreams**

**Icelus – (couldn't find an accurate Latin variation) – god of nightmares**

**Artemis – (Diana in Latin) goddess of the hunt, wilderness, the moon**

**Priapus – (Mutunus Tutunus in Latin) minor god of fertility, gardens and male genitalia (he's also the reason you should call your doctor if you have an erection lasting longer than 3 hours…lol)**

**Hedone – (Voluptas in Latin) goddess of sexual pleasure, bliss, **


	31. Titans

**Shameless promotion of Max Adler's new movie:**

**Please "like" _Detention of the Dead_ on Facebook and watch (or "favorite") the trailer on Youtube **

**/watch?v=TVwxbU0mhLQ and **

**/watch?v=fA3nsaZfwl0 if we ever want to see Max Adler on the big screen. **

**And spread the word!**

xoxoxo

When Kurt and David returned to school, David kept Kurt's hand firmly clasped in his own, lifting it to his lips and kissing the knuckles every so often. Those that hadn't yet heard about what happened in the auditorium blatantly stared at the new couple, mouths agape and eyes wide. A few people whispered obscenities at the two, but David just shrugged it off or ignored them.

When they stood outside Kurt's class, David took both of Kurt's hands in his own and pressed a soft kiss to Kurt's lips. "I'll see you after class, alright? I need to go find out from Coach whether or not I should bother to show up for practice."

"It's a public school, David. They can't discriminate against you in any way shape or form for being gay. It's illegal."

David shrugged. "I know that, but I'm not going to remain part of a team that makes it clear they want nothing to do with me."

"_I_ was on the football team and they didn't have any issues-"

"Yes, but you also changed in the girl's locker room. I'm not cool with that. Either they accept me for who I am, as I am, or they don't."

Kurt stood up on tiptoe, giving David a quick peck on the lips, again. "Ok, good luck, handsome. I hope everything goes well." David turned around to head off to Coach Bieste's office but stopped short when he felt a quick, sharp pain on his rump. Turning back around, he saw Kurt grinning mischievously. Kurt had _pinched_ his _ass_. Rolling his eyes good naturedly, David turned back around and left.

xoxoxo

Coach's door was slightly ajar, but David knocked anyway. Bieste looked up from her work and waved him in. "So…how'd it go?"

Coach sighed. "We might be losing a few players, but I don't think you should let that deter you. Quite a few seem to be willing to go to bat for you: Puckerman, Hudson, Abrams, Chang, Adams-"

"Adams? Azimio is standing by me?"

"Yep. I believe he said something along the lines of 'Ya'll been saying shit like this for months. Don't be acting all surprised about it now.'"

David couldn't help the chuckle of relief that escaped from him. "That's awesome. Who's against me being on the team?"

"It doesn't matter who's against it. If they're against it, I told them they could pack their bags and hit the road-"

"Coach, please."

"Strando and Rosenthaal most vocally. Rashad said he was against it on moral grounds but he also said he's not responsible for your 'immortal soul,' so I don't think he'll be a problem."

"So do you think I'm going to have any issues on the team?" David pulled out the chair in front of Bieste's desk and helped himself to a seat.

"If you do, you come to me and I'll make the 'issue' go away. How about you let _me_ worry about the Titans, and you head off to class, now, ok?"

xoxoxo

"When were you going to tell me you were dating him?" Finn wasn't quite whispering, so their more curious classmates watched him and Kurt out of the corners of their eyes, doing their best to eavesdrop.

"Well, we've only been dating since Saturday and he's only been 'out' since before lunch, so I _couldn't_ really tell you."

"I'm your _brother_. I need to know these things… _especially_ if you plan on me keeping this from Burt."

Kurt copied the notes from the board, while Finn copied his notes from Kurt. "Speaking of which, could you maybe invite David over for video games or something? I want dad to loosen up to the idea of David before I tell him we're dating."

Finn grimaced. "Dude, I think Karofsky would have to cure cancer, end world hunger, bring about world peace and get the Cubs to win the world series before Burt would 'loosen up' to the idea of him _existing_ let alone the two of you _dating_."

"I know. That's why I need your help, Finn. Besides, my dad loves me; he just wants me to be happy. If he sees how happy I am with David, maybe he'll learn to like David."

"Yeah, that'll be the day. And I'll learn to love figure skating."

xoxoxo

When David entered the locker room, things got quiet. Real quiet. Some jocks paused while changing their clothes. Several others quickly pulled their clothes on. David rolled his eyes and headed straight to his locker, careful to avoid looking at any of the other jocks. The noise slowly started to pick back up as David began changing into his own uniform. As he pulled the black _Likes Guys_ shirt up and over his head, he spotted Finn approaching him. "Hey, when did you and Kurt start dating?"

David narrowed his eyes. "Well, he **told** _me_ on Saturday. It's kind of hard to tell with him, though."

Finn snorted. "Yeah, he can be kind of weird about stuff like that. I just wanted to check and make sure he was being honest about the two of you. He wants me to ask you over our house sometime so Burt can get used to seeing you as a human or whatever."

"Yeah, that sounds fine."

"Quick warning? Burt might try and kill you." David chuckled, but the laugh died out when he saw the deadpanned look Finn was giving him. "I'm not kidding. He _does_ have a shotgun; he _may_ use it."

"I'm not afraid." David didn't voice the _yet_ part of his thoughts. He had no idea how he would feel about _anything_ tomorrow, but he was sure he'd be having panic attacks when he woke up. "Just set the date; I'll be there."

"Cool." Clapping David on the shoulder, Finn returned over to his own locker. David watched Finn leave just a second longer than necessary causing him to notice Sam out of the corner of his eyes. Sam, spotting David watching him, held his jersey in front of his bare chest shyly and straightened up so quickly he slammed his head on an open locker.

David sighed, rolled his eyes and finished dressing. The rest of the jocks started making fun of Sam, unaware of what had startled him and things in the locker room were just like they had always been.

Practice was more or less fine for David. One of the third string football players had accused David of touching him inappropriately, but, surprisingly, Puck jumped to his defense "Quit daydreaming about the things you want Karofsky to do to you and get your head in there. Karofsky's dating my boy Kurt. He's got no interest in a lard ass like you."

After practice things got a lot more awkward. Most of the team had more or less forgotten about David until he stripped down and headed off to the showers. Things seemed slightly off to him, but he couldn't pinpoint it. Not until he noticed _no one_ else was in _any_ of the showers. Looking around he saw most of the other jocks procrastinating in their changing. A couple had just pulled on their old clothes without bothering to wash themselves. A few stood around awkwardly, occasionally glancing up at David, clearly waiting for him to finish up in the shower.

Turning off the shower and roughly pulling a towel around his waist David stomped back over to his locker. "You guys are all immature assholes."

xoxoxo

David cleaned up his workstation at Olivine. He had been repairing the claws on a poorly made engagement ring that had snagged on something and bent the setting of the diamond. There was a very good reason you generally didn't see gold jewelry over 18 carats; the gold was just too soft for day-to-day wear.

His father was making sure that each of the display cases was properly locked and secured while the girls straightened things up and made sure everything was clean. Every evening, each of the cases and windows in the shop was Windex-ed until it was spotless and the floors swept, mopped and, occasionally, waxed until they shone. The area rugs underneath the display cases all got vacuumed and the door handles all got polished. The display floor was kept in immaculate, pristine condition: the complete opposite of the back office.

As they finished their respective chores, one by one the girls went home; three of them lived in the Underworld and could easily teleport there. The other two lived in the mortal realm. When the last one had left, David lingered over his work. "Come on, David. Home time."

"Before we go, can we talk for a minute?"

Putting his briefcase down, Paul cocked his head to the side. "What's wrong? Is it your mother?"

"No, Dad. It's Kurt."

"Is everything alright with you two? You're dating now, aren't you?"

"I…yeah. We are. I told Kurt." His father stared at him, obviously not picking up his meaning. "I told Kurt I'm a god. He believes me…and he _still _loves me."

Paul shook his head. "David…that was…well, 'stupid' comes to mind. Dangerous, also. Nearsighted. Foolish. Want me to continue?" David ducked his head, dodging his father's look of disappointment. "I _know_ you love Kurt. And I'm pretty sure he likes you, too. But mortals _cannot_ be trusted; even the good ones. They're greedy, manipulative-"

"Dad, Kurt _loves_ me. He loves _me_, not the fact that I'm a god or anything. And he wouldn't _use_ me. I trust Kurt."

"Are you _sure_ about that?"

**xoxoxo**

**Those we've met so far:**

**David – son of Hades and Persephone**

**Paul – Hades (Pluto in Latin), god of the underworld and wealth (the Greeks believed that since precious jewels and metals came from underground that they were part of Hades realm)**

**Sophie – Persephone/Kore (Proserpina in Latin), goddess of spring and queen of the underworld**

**Aaron – Eros (Cupid in Latin), god of love**

**Sarah – Psyche (Psyche in Latin), goddess of the soul**

**Homer – an old rat David befriended in the Underworld**

**Di – Aphrodite (Venus in Latin) Goddess of love and beauty**

**Harry – Hermes (Mercury in Latin) Messenger of the gods and escort of souls to the Underworld**

**Apollo – (Apollo in Latin) God of the sun, medicine, knowledge, music, and poetry**

**Demetria – Demeter (Ceres in Latin) Goddess of the harvest and seasons**

**Zeus – (Jupiter in Latin) King of the gods and god of the sky **

**Hera – (Juno in Latin) Queen of the gods and goddess of Marriage, women and birth**

**Morpheus – (Morpheus in Latin) god of dreams**

**Icelus – (couldn't find an accurate Latin variation) – god of nightmares**

**Artemis – (Diana in Latin) goddess of the hunt, wilderness, the moon**

**Priapus – (Mutunus Tutunus in Latin) minor god of fertility, gardens and male genitalia (he's also the reason you should call your doctor if you have an erection lasting longer than 3 hours…lol)**

**Hedone – (Voluptas in Latin) goddess of sexual pleasure, bliss**

**Donny – Adonis (couldn't find the Latin variation) male god of male beauty and desire**


	32. Beauty and the Green Eyed Beast

**I don't write linearly. It's too difficult for me; my brain is always running in eighty directions at once. So this is going to start getting updated in sporadic bursts. The story will still be _published_ chronologically, it just won't be _written_ chronologically.**

xoxoxo

When David woke, his first thoughts were along the lines of '_oh, fuck'_. He was like a drunk that had made an ass of himself, although _unlike_ most drunks David knew of, he suffered no memory loss. He could easily remember _everything_ he had done the day before. David sat up in bed and swung his legs over the side of his bed; burying his head in his hands, he tried to steady his panicked breathing. Maybe his dad would have mercy on him and let him take the day off? Or, if not, he could skip school. No one would ever know. Except Kurt.

David grabbed his cell phone off his bureau, prepared to shoot Kurt off a text asking him if he wanted to skip school with him. Maybe they could drive around aimlessly, head to CocoKeys for a day of indoor waterpark fun, go mall crawling now that Kurt knew just _how_ bottomless David's wallet was, or maybe they could just hang out in the Underworld. Although that last one might overwhelm Kurt a bit. He didn't want to mention any 'god' things unless Kurt brought it up first. He was pretty sure Kurt was still 'adjusting' to the idea of dating a god.

_I wonder how Lois Lane dealt with the weirdness of dating Superman?_

As he looked at his cell phone, he realized he didn't _have_ to contact Kurt. Kurt had already texted him sometime while he was still sleeping: _Deep breaths, Dave. One day at a time!_

He also had a text from Finn. _Woot Woot! We're going to kick Puma ass tonight and then ur gonna rub it in ther faces that they got beat by a gay!_

Another text from Kurt: _Ignore Finn; I asked him to send you something motivational. I should have realized to whom I was speaking._

Then a fourth text, this one from Santana: _Just tell me if I needs to stab some bitches today. I'll go all Lima Heights on them if they give you ANY shit_.

David just smiled. He could do this. Life would be fine.

xoxoxo

"Well, I hate to say it, but congratulations Kurt. I'm sure the two of you will be really happy together." It was Friday afternoon. Kurt and Blaine had been discussing David at the Lima Bean while David got ready for the football game that evening. Kurt was planning on going to cheer on his _boyfriend_…in _public_. He was so excited. He couldn't wait. Blaine promised to meet him there and explain what the hell was going on in the game to him.

Despite the fact that Athena's gift had faded while David slept the previous night, he still did pretty well today. He was a bit slower to take Kurt's hand than he had been on Thursday and he was shy and reserved in glee practice. But he hadn't tried running back into the closet, which to Kurt was a _huge_ breakthrough. And most surprising of all, none of the other jocks gave him any trouble.

"Ok, I have to pick up a few groceries before I return home tonight, but other than that, I'll see you at the game?"

Kurt nodded. "Yep. I'll see you there."

Blaine had barely been gone five minutes when a young man approached Kurt. He had short blonde hair, bright green eyes, and soft, rounded cheeks: his skin was flawless and his nose was perfect. He had an air about him that just invited people to stare…and _drool_. Kurt was so startled by his beauty that he didn't even question why he was standing there. "Hello, I see you're all by your lonesome self."

"I…um…yes?" Kurt choked on his coffee slightly. He couldn't pull his eyes away from the stranger's.

"I'm surprised your boyfriend was so quick to leave you. If you were _my_ boyfriend, I wouldn't be able to pull myself away from worshipping the ground you walk on long enough to leave you."

Kurt's eyes were drawn to his lips. They were so soft looking and pink and delicate it took Kurt a minute to register what he said. "I…what? Oh, Blaine's not my boyfriend. He's my ex."

"Really?" 'Gorgeous' as Kurt had mentally nick-named him leaned forward, clearly interested. "So I take it to mean you're single?"

'Gorgeous' looked Kurt over, licking his lips seductively. Kurt bit back the softest moan. "I have a boyfriend."

"Oh? You sound disappointed by that."

"What?" Kurt snapped out of his enchantment long enough to feel affronted by that. "No, I _love_ my boyfriend. He's the greatest thing _ever_."

'Gorgeous' smiled indulgently at him. "He'd have to be, to be deserving of your attention. He must have some excellent taste; just as good as your taste in fine clothing, I'd say. That isn't _Maison Martin Margiela _you're wearing, is it?"

_A hot guy that knows fashion?_ Kurt felt his heart skip a beat. "Regrettably, it's knock-off."

"A very tasteful knock-off, I might add. I had the pleasure of meeting Margiela as well as Demeulemeester and Bikkembergs in Milan last year."

Kurt had to grit his teeth to keep his jaw from dropping. "You've _met_ two of the 'Antwerp Six'?"

'Gorgeous' shrugged nonchalantly. "It was a humbling moment, to be certain. Not nearly as much so as when I met McQueen. You could literally _feel_ the presence of such a master just by being in the same room with him. Alexander was a truly great man. I'm Donny, by the way."

"I'm Kurt. You've met Alexander McQueen?"

"Oh, yes. His death was such a singular and international loss. I'll miss wearing his personal designs at the shows. I'm a model, you know."

Kurt looked him over. "I can see that." Now that Kurt knew Donny was _in_ the industry, he found himself more drawn to what Donny was wearing…as difficult as it was to tear his eyes away from Donny's face. "Your shirt, is it Schiaparelli?"

"You have a good eye, my friend. So, this boyfriend of yours…is it a dedicated thing, or are you… _open_?"

Kurt didn't quite understand him at first. "Open?" Donny looked Kurt over again, giving him what could only be described as a lascivious, lewd look. Kurt wrapped his arms over his chest self-consciously. "I'll have you know that David and I are in a very _dedicated_ relationship. We _love_ each other and _only_ each other."

"It doesn't bother you that your feelings are being manipulated by Eros?" Kurt furrowed his brows. "My beloved 'brother from another mother' is not the _only_ god in the world."

"I don't care if my feelings for David _are_ 'manipulated' by Eros, because I _love_ David and _that_ is real."

Donny sat back in his chair, smiling at Kurt. It wasn't the same lustful smile he had given Kurt before. It was a warm, welcoming smile. "I'm Adonis." Donny held his hand out towards Kurt. Kurt took his hand and shook it. "God of male beauty. I'm _kind of_ David's adoptive brother, kind of not. It's complicated. I'm also, thanks to my second adoptive mother, straight as an arrow. I was only messing with you."

"Were you lying about McQueen and modeling and all of that?"

Donny let out a short snort of a laugh. "No. I really _am_ a model and I did have the pleasure of meeting McQueen and the others. I haven't done modeling in about six years, though. I got bored of that life. I'm more or less just a lay-about cad these days."

"Did Sophie send you?" Kurt said it before he really thought it through, but the second he actually _thought_ about what he said, he was convinced it was true, and it _pissed_ him off. "She's trying to lure me away from David, isn't she?"

"No, not Sophie: Paul. He wants to see how genuine your feelings for David are. I spoke to Eros before I came here, however. Eros says that, barring any outside influences, you and David will be in love for a _long_ time. And given that _I_ qualify as a rather powerful outside influence, I'll give Paul a positive report on you. You're obviously in love with him."

"I suppose I should be mad at Paul for thinking so little of me, but he's just being protective of his baby-boy, isn't he?"

"Paul and Sophie have been together for thousands of years, David was the first child they could ever have. And believe me, they _tried_. They haven't been able to have a child _since_ David, either. So you can understand him being a bit protective of his only child."

"I get that…but I still think I have the right to feel a bit of righteous indignation."

"You go ahead and feel that. If you're going to be dating into _this_ family, you're going to need the stiffest backbone you can grow."

xoxoxo

David felt himself recoil a bit when he spotted Kurt, waiting for him after the game like he had said he would. Blaine was there. Why was _Blaine_ there? They still hung out; he knew that. But even still, it hurt a little to see Kurt with his ex-_boyfriend _at _his_ football game. He forced down the feelings of inadequacy, insecurity, and jealousy and pulled his boyfriend into a friendly hug. Somewhere, off mixed into the background noise of people leaving the stadium, he could hear someone yell out "Get a room, fags." He was about to turn around and say something when he saw Blaine flipping them the bird.

"Ignore them, Dave. You played very admirably." Kurt ran his hand down David's chest, dipping surprisingly close to the top hem of his jeans.

David smiled and blushed. "That's just fancy-talk for I'm a good loser. We got our asses handed to us."

"You weren't playing as a team; it was pretty obvious. And your team seemed kind of distracted out there." David was mildly surprised. He didn't really expect Kurt's ex to be too familiar with the finer points of football. Even a seasoned player could have difficulty making observations like that.

"Yeah, well…it's pretty hard to focus on the game when the other team keeps talking shit. They didn't know _which_ of us was the gay one, but they were more than happy to assume that we _all_ were."

"How has the other team found out already? You've only been 'out' for a day and a half." Kurt looked concerned. He knew full well that David was still in a vulnerable place and probably would be until he had his mother's acceptance again.

"People have friends in other schools, Twitter, Facebook, you name it. Nothing stays secret long." David couldn't help but agree with Blaine. The fact that he had been safely tucked away in the closet as long as he had was a miracle. "It's a good thing Burt isn't into anything computer-related or you two would be screwed."

Kurt slipped his hand into David's. "It's OK; we'll get him used to you nice and slow. He isn't the type to hold a grudge. Once he sees how good we are together, he won't be able to help but love you." Placing his hand in the small of Kurt's back, David bent over and kissed him on the forehead. "Did you talk to Finn?" David nodded, still holding Kurt close by the small of his back. "So, are you coming over for video games tomorrow?"

"Yep."

"Ok, I'll see you tomorrow, then. Love you."

"Love you, too."

Blaine rolled his eyes. "You guys are so gross." Holding his arm out for Kurt, Blaine hooked Kurt's elbow with his own. "Come on, let me give you a lift home."

David watched as Kurt left the stadium, arm in arm with his ex-boyfriend. He trusted Kurt; he _loved_ Kurt. He did _not_ trust Blaine.

**xoxoxo**

**Those we've met so far:**

**David – son of Hades and Persephone**

**Paul – Hades (Pluto in Latin), god of the underworld and wealth (the Greeks believed that since precious jewels and metals came from underground that they were part of Hades realm)**

**Sophie – Persephone/Kore (Proserpina in Latin), goddess of spring and queen of the underworld**

**Aaron – Eros (Cupid in Latin), god of love**

**Sarah – Psyche (Psyche in Latin), goddess of the soul**

**Homer – an old rat David befriended in the Underworld**

**Di – Aphrodite (Venus in Latin) Goddess of love and beauty**

**Harry – Hermes (Mercury in Latin) Messenger of the gods and escort of souls to the Underworld**

**Apollo – (Apollo in Latin) God of the sun, medicine, knowledge, music, and poetry**

**Demetria – Demeter (Ceres in Latin) Goddess of the harvest and seasons**

**Zeus – (Jupiter in Latin) King of the gods and god of the sky **

**Hera – (Juno in Latin) Queen of the gods and goddess of Marriage, women and birth**

**Morpheus – (Morpheus in Latin) god of dreams**

**Icelus – (couldn't find an accurate Latin variation) – god of nightmares**

**Artemis – (Diana in Latin) goddess of the hunt, wilderness, the moon**

**Priapus – (Mutunus Tutunus in Latin) minor god of fertility, gardens and male genitalia (he's also the reason you should call your doctor if you have an erection lasting longer than 3 hours…lol)**

**Hedone – (Voluptas in Latin) goddess of sexual pleasure, bliss**

**Donny – Adonis (couldn't find the Latin variation) male god of male beauty and desire**


	33. Nemean Lion

**3/4/2012 So, tomorrow I will be a quarter of a century old. Today was my birthday party (and my nephew's; we're twenty years apart to the hour). One of my brother-in-law's relatives dropped a cigarette off the porch and set the house on fire. No one was hurt but, all-in-all, it was an interesting day. Plus, I'm sick as a dog...yay me!**

**3/5/2012 And then FF decided not to let me log in yesterday...yay  
><strong>

**xoxoxo**

David's tongue was stuck out between his lips as he concentrated on the game. It was really cute in Kurt's opinion. David sat on the floor of the living room, between Kurt's knees. Kurt was perched on the couch next to Finn, Puck was on the floor next to David and Artie was parked next to the couch. David, Finn, Artie and Puck were all tethered to Finn's old Nintendo 64 by their grey controllers.

Puck was a laid back player, occasionally jostling the other guys. He was loud and boisterous and, unfortunately for the carpeting, very messy. Cookie and chip crumbs circled Puck as though he had his own gravitational field.

Artie tended to zone into the game, narrowing his focus until it was the only thing in his universe. Occasionally, Puck would bump into him in his excitement, forcing Artie out of his reverie and into retaliation mode. "Dammit Puck. Keep your hands to yourself!" Artie tossed a banana peel at Puck (in-game, of course) causing Puck to spin out of control and slam into David's car. Puck, easily amused even while he was loosing, burst out laughing.

"What the hell just happened?" David had never played MarioKart before and was apparently very slow on the uptake. Finn, the natural leader under any circumstances had taken it upon himself to try and teach David how to play. He even put aside his first place lead for a moment to take David's controller from him and straighten his car back out.

"Just stay away from everything on the track and try and keep your distance from other players. Especially Puck." Puck countered that by ramming his car into David's again, this time intentionally.

Meanwhile, Artie had pulled out ahead and David was able to straighten his vehicle out just in time for Artie's screen to flash "Congratulations! You placed 1st!"

"Can we _please_ play something else, next? This game is more annoying than _Angry Birds_."

"You're just a sore loser, Karofsky." Puck pulled passed the finish line just behind Finn, scoring third place.

"No, I'm a _confused_ loser with no fine motor skills." Kurt rubbed his fingers through David's hair, massaging his scalp and encouraging him to let his head droop back. David craned his neck back so that he was facing Kurt. Still massaging David's scalp, Kurt arched his back forward so that his head was resting against David's and began kissing him.

"Ew…Finn you gonna let Karofsky man-handle your brother like that?" Puck swatted at Finn's knee with his controller, pointing at Kurt and David with his free hand and making a mock grossed-out expression at them.

"Looks more like Kurt's manhandling _him_."

Kurt yanked away from David, painfully biting David's lip in the process when they heard the front door open. Kurt pulled one of his legs up and over David so that David was no longer seated between them and scooted himself to the far end of the couch. David scooted in the opposite direction, pushing Puck into Artie in his efforts to put as much space between himself and Kurt before Burt spotted them.

"Hey, boys. Having a game-party?" David tried keeping his head ducked low so Burt didn't notice him…even though the whole point of him _being_ there was so that Burt _could_ see him and see that he wasn't a monster. Not anymore, at least.

"Afternoon, Mr. Hummel. We're just trying to teach the newest member of New Directions how to play video games without looking like a fool…so far we've failed."

"New member of New Directions, huh? It's always good to see more guys getting interested in glee club." David peeked up at Burt, turning his head just enough for Burt to see part of his profile. "I'm Burt Hummel, nice to meet you."

"Uh…Hi."

Burt narrowed his eyes, still not recognizing David, but fully aware that David obviously seemed nervous and felt very out of place. "I hope my boys are treating you all right. Kurt offer you guys any food?"

"_Yessir."_ David kept his voice low, hoping Burt would lose interest in him. He could feel Kurt nudging him with the toe of his boot, trying to get him to speak up and _announce_ himself.

"Finn actually let you eat any, or he eat it all himself?"

"I had chips and soda, sir."

Burt nodded slowly, debating with himself whether this new addition to Finn's group was shy, "special" or just _off_. "Ok, that's good. You have a name or something?"

"David, sir." Burt nodded again. David turned his head more towards Kurt's father, holding his breath while he did so.

Burt's demeanor changed, he seemed more on edge, more suspicious. "David?" Burt cocked his head to the side and leaned forward, allowing himself a better look at David's face. "David?..._Karofsky_?" David tentatively nodded. Kurt could quite literally see his father's face turn colors, going from a nice, healthy, light tan to pink then to red. "What the _hell_ are you doing in my house?"

David jumped up. "Sorry, sir. I'll leave, sir."

Finn grabbed David by the back of his shirt, keeping him from fleeing. "David, hold up. Calm down, Burt. David's our friend now."

"Your _friend_? What the hell are you thinking hanging out with a kid like this?" David ducked his head and scrunched his shoulders up, trying to avoid Burt's verbal assault. "I want _you_ out of this house." Burt stabbed the air with his finger towards David.

"Dad, calm down. David has been well behaved for a _long_ time now. He's _my_ friend, as well." Kurt turned around on the couch, digging his knees into the back cushion and sitting on his heels as he faced down his father.

"Absolutely _not_." Burt pointed at David again. _"You_ – out of my house." Turning to Finn and Kurt he pointed at them one by one. _"You two_ – stay the hell away from him." David skirted around Burt as he fled from the Hummel-Hudson's living room. Looking at Puck and Artie, Burt felt like he was Confucius: the only one capable of seeing wisdom, dispensing invaluable advice. "If you two have any common sense, you'll steer clear of that kid, too."

Kurt followed his father into the kitchen. "This isn't _fair_ of you, dad. _Everyone_ deserves a second chance."

"I agree. But I'm not going to _test_ how 'rehabilitated' he is by risking _my_ kid."

"David was being _genuine_ when he started the Bully Whips with Santana." Ok, not entirely true, but it had _become_ true. "Even _after_ he found out Santana only wanted to start it with him to _use_ him in order to win prom queen, he stayed with it. He _truly_ regrets everything that happened between us last year. He even got _suspended_ last week protecting me from hockey-jocks."

"What do you mean?"

Kurt hadn't told his father about his run-in with Cooper and Nelson last week. He hated worrying his father; he had taken care of himself for so long, he didn't feel comfortable getting his father involved. "It's not a big deal. One of the hockey players slushied me and then another shoved me into a locker. David saw and came to my rescue…he got suspended for defending me."

"So, I see _violence_ is still his first reaction to anything he doesn't like."

"Dad, it's not _like_ that."

Burt waved Kurt away like he wasn't even listening. "I don't care, Kurt. You're young. You don't really understand how people work, yet. People don't just _change_. Not like that. Stay away from him."

"But Dad-"

"Stay away from him or I will ship you back off to Dalton so fast your head'll spin." Kurt opened his mouth to say something but snapped it closed instead and stormed off to his room, stomping his feet the entire way and slamming his door once he was safe in his room. Ripping his cell phone out of his pocket, he shot off a quick text to David:

**I'm rendered speechless by your selfless display of courage earlier**

**Nice way to drop the ball David.**

David was probably still driving home, so it took him another fifteen minutes to get a reply:

**Im sorry. Im not going to get in a fight with your dad. He already hates me. I don't want to make things worse**

xoxoxo

The overhead bells tinkled delicately as Kurt entered _Olivine_ later that afternoon. Paul spotted him almost instantly and met him by the first counter. "Just because you and David are dating now doesn't mean you can come in here and bother him every time you want a kiss."

Despite Paul's obvious mistrust of Kurt, he said it good-naturedly: jokingly. "Hmm…I'm not entirely certain I appreciate you sending your little spy to test my loyalty to David, yesterday."

"You passed, didn't you?" Kurt nodded. "Then you have nothing to be afraid of. Aaron and Donny both swear by you, so that's good enough for me…for now."

"Aaron?"

"Eros." Paul escorted Kurt through the store. "Eros is a good friend of the family. He set me up with Sophie and Sophie in turn helped Aaron and his wife Sarah get together. Are you familiar with the myth of Eros and Psyche?"

"Not particularly, but I've heard of _Cupid_ and Psyche."

"Same story, but ditch the Latin. None of us ever cared much for our Latin names." Paul, assuming Kurt was there to talk to him about the thing with Adonis, went back to work while Kurt stood next to him. Paul held up a jeweler's loop to his eye and began examining a tennis bracelet.

"You're so comfortable talking about all of this out in the open. You aren't afraid of anyone thinking you're crazy?"

Paul looked up and gestured around the store. The female associates were all out on the floor working; aside from Kurt, the only customers in the store were both on the opposite side of the floor, looking at Pandora charms together. "My girls are all nymphs. And the mortals are out of earshot."

"Nymphs?"

"Yes. They're servants of mine from the Underworld. When I came to the mortal world to raise David, they tagged along, interested in a bit of change."

"Huh…where _is_ David anyway?"

"He's on a break right now. He should be back from dinner in about fifteen minutes. You're welcome to hang out in the office until he gets back or you can just explore. Whichever you prefer."

Kurt opted to explore while Paul went back to work. There were lots of pretty, shiny things to look at and keep him entertained. Within minutes he found himself examining various brooches. They were quite lovely; any precious metal and stones you could name were represented and the designs were very diverse. Some of the brooches were simple and delicate; some looked like they would tear more delicate fabrics under their weight. There were abstract designs, flowers, animals, and famous monuments. There was even a section of cameo brooches, many of them in classical Greek designs, made by Wedgwood and other famous companies.

David found himself blushing when he got back to work and realized he was actually able to recognize his boyfriend by his butt. Kurt was bent over one of the counters looking at pins and brooches. He had seen Kurt wear some to school before; he had the eyeglass tiepin that he wore like a lapel pin and a little gold World War II era plane. Making sure neither of the other customers was looking in their direction, David approached his boyfriend from behind and cupped Kurt's rear-end with his hand, giving it a firm squeeze.

Kurt jumped up, slamming the back of his head into David's nose. David felt his eyes watering. Grabbing the bridge of his nose, David did his best to blink back the tears. "First you bite my lip, now you head-butt my nose."

"Oh my god, David! I'm so sorry. You _startled_ me!"

Paul and the nymph, Selene, rushed over to David. Paul hovered while Selene pulled David's hand away from his nose and surveyed the damage. "It isn't bleeding. Nor will there be any bruising." The other customers looked up curiously at the commotion but quickly lost interest when they saw that David was more or less unhurt.

"No. It just _stings_."

"I am _so_ sorry, David."

"It's ok. I'm fine." Selene tried to check out David's nose again, but he brushed her off; putting his hands up he kept her at arms length. "I'm _fine_, Selene. I'm ok."

"If you cripple my employee, I'm making you take his place." Once again, Paul was just joking with Kurt, but the idea of working in a jewelry store appealed to Kurt.

"Don't tempt me."

David's eyes went a little wide: tears still pooled in the corners. "Please don't hurt me, anymore."

"Yes, please don't." Paul returned to his previous station and went back to examining various precious baubles on the counter, a soldering iron in hand. _"You_ can leave him whenever you please; his mother and I have to deal with his whining nonstop. He doesn't deal well with pain."

Kurt rubbed his hand up and down David's arm reassuringly. "I'm not leaving you. Especially not if I'm the one _hurting_ you. In fact I have a little something that might help us stick together." David furrowed his brows. "I've been thinking…" Kurt lowered his voice in case the other shoppers were still paying attention to them. "Heracles had his twelve labors, Perseus had Medusa, and Odysseus had his odyssey. All the great Greek heroes had trials they had to overcome in order to get what they wanted. _I'm_ what _you_ want."

"O…_k_…but there aren't a whole lot of Nemean lions around these days."

Kurt smiled and nudged David in the chest. "My _father_ is your trial."

"You want me to slay your dad and wear his skin? 'Cause I'm not sure I'm ok with that."

Kurt rolled his eyes and thrust a jewelry box into David's hand. It wasn't from Olivine. "No. Your _trial_ is winning my dad's approval."

David opened the little blue velvet box. Inside were small twists of completely wrecked jewelry. "What the hell is this? – _Was_ this?" It was a rhetorical question; David could tell instantly that they were the remains of rings, wedding rings likely. They had at some point become horrifically gnarled and broken.

"These were my mother's. When I was about four, I accidentally slammed my mother's hand in the sliding door of our Dodge Caravan. It destroyed her wedding rings and the paramedics further wrecked them by cutting them off her finger in order to set the broken bone."

David could almost feel his _own_ hand throbbing at the thought of being mauled like that. David went over to his own workstation behind the counters and stuck on a jeweler's loop in order to properly survey the damage. Both rings had been bent into twisted lemon-shaped ovals, then snipped and bent back out of shape in order to remove them from Mrs. Hummel's hand. One of the emeralds that flanked the diamond was cracked down the center. "Glad to know I'm not the only person you 'supposedly' love that you viciously attack."

"Oh, please David. I'm just having a clumsy day. Can you fix these?"

David turned them over in his hand, adjusting the light over his desk to see them better. "I should be able to have them looking pretty damn close to new." Aside from the emerald…his dad would have to help in that department.

"Thank you so much!" Kurt threw his arms around David's neck, practically choking off his air supply. "My parents could never afford to get them fixed when I was little; there were always more important bills to pay. Especially once my mom got sick. After she died…my dad didn't have the heart to get them fixed. He was afraid they would get ruined even worse. But I _knew_ you could do it." And if he couldn't he'd have his dad do it.

David blushed under Kurt's praise. He found himself blushing a _lot_ when he was around Kurt. "I didn't know your mom was dead." _Smooth, Dave. Real Tactful of you._

"I…yeah. She died when I was eight."

"I always thought your parents were divorced." Kurt shook his head; even ten years later, the pain was evidently fresh in Kurt's mind. "Don't worry. I'll have these rings looking perfect before we get back from Thanksgiving Break. And I _won't_ even have to use any powers." _Except for the emerald_.

"Thank you, so much." Kurt placed his hand behind David's head and pulled him forward into a deep kiss. He would have kept kissing David, as well, if Paul hadn't cleared his throat and glared them down.

Kurt smiled at Paul and flashed him a little wave.

**xoxoxo**

**Those we've met so far:**

**David – son of Hades and Persephone**

**Paul – Hades (Pluto in Latin), god of the underworld and wealth (the Greeks believed that since precious jewels and metals came from underground that they were part of Hades realm)**

**Sophie – Persephone/Kore (Proserpina in Latin), goddess of spring and queen of the underworld**

**Aaron – Eros (Cupid in Latin), god of love**

**Sarah – Psyche (Psyche in Latin), goddess of the soul**

**Homer – an old rat David befriended in the Underworld**

**Di – Aphrodite (Venus in Latin) Goddess of love and beauty**

**Harry – Hermes (Mercury in Latin) Messenger of the gods and escort of souls to the Underworld**

**Apollo – (Apollo in Latin) God of the sun, medicine, knowledge, music, and poetry**

**Demetria – Demeter (Ceres in Latin) Goddess of the harvest and seasons**

**Zeus – (Jupiter in Latin) King of the gods and god of the sky **

**Hera – (Juno in Latin) Queen of the gods and goddess of Marriage, women and birth**

**Morpheus – (Morpheus in Latin) god of dreams**

**Icelus – (couldn't find an accurate Latin variation) – god of nightmares**

**Artemis – (Diana in Latin) goddess of the hunt, wilderness, the moon**

**Priapus – (Mutunus Tutunus in Latin) minor god of fertility, gardens and male genitalia (he's also the reason you should call your doctor if you have an erection lasting longer than 3 hours…lol)**

**Hedone – (Voluptas in Latin) goddess of sexual pleasure, bliss**

**Donny – Adonis (couldn't find the Latin variation) male god of male beauty and desire**


	34. His Rosebud

**So…today I learned that neither "smooshed" nor "squooshed" are real words. Screw you OED, screw you.**

**Spoiler for Citizen Kane. If you don't know what "Rosebud" was...I pity you.  
><strong>

**xoxoxo**

Between Kurt and the paramedics, these rings had seen _far_ better days. Short of melting them down, David couldn't imagine them being in much _worse_ condition. With the time off from school he had for Thanksgiving, David planned on spending all of his free time at _Olivine_, very carefully bending and shaping the rings back into the right shape. He had every tool he could possibly need to repair it, but he was starting to doubt his own talent. When you bent metal, small pieces of the metal moved _away_ from the bending point and microscopic cracks formed. It was the reason why, if you kept bending a paper clip, it would eventually break; metal moved away from the bending point leaving it thin and fragile while the cracks eventually became too much. It was called metal fatigue and was loosely related to shear, tensile and compression strength. All metal could only be stretched, pulled, smooshed or bent so much before it lost its integrity.

_That's_ where David was having his difficulty; he had to somehow bend it back into shape so that it had a uniform integrity. He had to somehow _move_ the metal back to its original place so that no part of the ring was thicker than another while repairing the invisible cracks.

For the most part, Paul was letting David figure this out on his own. Occasionally he'd pop over to David's workstation with a suggestion, or hand him a more appropriate tool for the task at hand, but all in all, Paul was respecting David's decisions.

He had far more faith in David than David did.

xoxoxo

The weekend before Thanksgiving ended and Monday morning found Kurt and David, hand in hand, walking down the halls of McKinley together. Kurt liked having his 'bodyguard' by his side, but he _loved_ having his boyfriend by his side. "So, my dad wants to know if you were serious about what you said Saturday."

Kurt narrowed his eyes as he looked up at David. "I forget, what did I say?"

"When my dad said that if you took me out of commission you'd have to work there in my place, you said 'don't tempt me.' Are you really interested in working at _Olivine_?"

"Uh… _yeah, _duh! Oh my god that would be incredible: getting paid to work with really fine jewelry and be with my boyfriend at the same time? That would be, like, the best job _ever_!" Kurt swung their arms in a wide arch; David was surprised he wasn't skipping.

"Hehe, why don't you go to _Olivine_ after school or something and talk to him? Get everything figured-" David cut off as his vision erupted in red and blue. The two slushies had been aimed straight at his face, so Kurt only got the tiniest splash of the sugary syrup-drink.

It took Kurt only a moment to recover from the shock; David had pulled his hand away from him and was furiously clawing at his eyes, trying to 'dig' the icy water away from his eyes.

"You're making it worse; don't do that." Kurt tried grabbing at David's wrists to keep him from hurting himself, but got batted away for his efforts. Switching tactics, Kurt grabbed David's shirt and pulled him off towards the closest bathroom. He turned the taps to lukewarm and waited for the water to heat up. Meanwhile he grabbed handfuls of paper towels and began folding them into nice neat little quarters. Soaking down the first paper square, he gently wiped it over David's left eye, pushing the liquid _away_ instead of forcing it _into_ David's eye. As he continued doing this, over and over, replacing the paper each time it became saturated or cooled down, David began to calm and trust Kurt. Kurt was the expert at being slushied.

"Did you see who did it?"

Kurt shook his head before realizing David couldn't see him. "No, I didn't notice them until you got hit and after that they were running down the hall. All I could see were their backs. They were two white guys, though. No lettermans."

David snorted, blowing a cherry bubble out of his nose with the slushy. "Doesn't mean they weren't jocks. And 'white male' only rules out the chicks and about eight guys at this school."

"I know. It's ok though. It doesn't matter who they were. You don't need to 'get back at them' or anything. They're just jerks and they'll get what's coming to them."

David tentatively peeked through the eye Kurt was no longer wiping down and looked up at his boyfriend. His eye was bloodshot and puffy looking. "It was because I'm gay, wasn't it?"

Kurt stilled in his administrations for a moment. "Yes…yes it was."

David sniffled and nodded.

xoxoxo

Paul wasn't working on the floor when Kurt arrived. David wasn't there either; he had football practice which, thankfully, meant he had a change of clothes in his locker since he no longer felt comfortable showering after practice, so at least he had something to change into once his polo was destroyed. That poor, innocent polo…Kurt didn't feel bad for it _one_ bit. One of the girls directed Kurt to the back room. Kurt knocked on the door and waited for Paul to open it, inviting him in. "Ah, Kurt. I wasn't expecting you to come so soon. Come on in."

"David said I should come and talk to you. He said you might be interested in hiring me?" Kurt did his best to not sound too pushy or overeager; he didn't want to frighten Paul's offer off the table.

"I'm not going to lie, Kurt. I have ulterior motives." Kurt cocked his head to the side; he didn't really picture Paul as the devious, plotting kind. He was curious to see where this was going. "You like my son, my _only_ son. David has never had a real relationship before, not with someone he cared about. I _know_ you have both Adonis and Eros' trust when it comes to how much you _love _David, but I want to make sure you're _treating_ my son, right. David's desperate to please. He's spent half his life going along with people who treat him like crap just for a few, random, kind words. I know you _care_ about him. I just want to make sure that you _act_ like you do."

"So you want me to work here so you can keep an eye on me?" Kurt wasn't used to people not thinking highly of him…yes, there were the judgmental pricks at school who treated him sub-par because he was gay, but no one had ever questioned his _honor_ before.

"Essentially? Yes. You'll be an employee, subject to your own terms and conditions; I'll _treat_ you like any other employee, and you'll get a fair wage. But aside from that, I'll get peace of mind. I'll get to see you interact with my son on a regular basis and see for myself that you really _are_ a good match for him."

Kurt thought about that. Paul wasn't being underhanded about this, at all. He was telling him upfront, and he didn't seem to _mistrust_ Kurt. He just wanted to make sure Kurt was treating David like a good boyfriend. Paul was a good guy; Kurt liked him, and he _really_ couldn't fault Paul for wanting to protect his son. "So…how _much_ exactly is a 'fair wage'?"

Paul smiled. "You know, I've never had a mortal employee before. David doesn't _get_ paid, not in a traditional sense and nymphs have no real interest in money. The ones that choose to live on Earth I bought houses for and pay them what they need to pay their bills and the others get rank and prestige back in the Underworld as well as the promise that, should they ever want it, they'll get a chance to live normal lives up on Earth. What do _you_ think would be a 'fair wage'?"

Kurt wasn't sure how to respond to that. His father never really "paid" him for working at the shop, either. He told his father what kinds of things he wanted to buy and his father would give him chores to do in the shop in exchange. "Well…I think minimum wage is about $8.00 for people who work in fast food and at Wal-Mart and places like that-"

"Unskilled labor in major chain operations is about 8 dollars, so I think skilled labor at a privately owned store would be fair at about $18 dollars an hour. Does that sound good to you?"

Kurt's eyes went wide. That was more money than he'd ever really thought about. "But I'm not _really_ 'skilled' labor. I've never worked in retail before or-"

"Kurt, I'm the god of wealth. Believe me, I know _exactly_ how knowledgeable you are when it comes to jewelry and how quick you are on the uptake. And if your skills _weren't_ up to par, I could always…'tweak' them. You know everything you need to sell jewelry here and buy from distributors and we will teach you everything you need to know to buy jewelry from the customers. Repairing jewelry will take a bit of time, but if you're interested, I'd be more than happy to teach you."

Kurt smiled. Anything to do with fashion fascinated him. If he could learn to _repair_ jewelry, he could learn to _make_ it. "That would be positively amazing. Working here would be like a dream come true for me...That brings up a question I have, though." Paul 'hmmm?-ed' at him. "You're the god of _wealth_. You could be the king of Wall Street. You could _own_ the world's largest diamond mines. You could turn _Olivine_ into the largest jewelry chain store. Why bother with something so tiny?"

Paul looked thoughtful for a moment. "Have you ever seen the movie _Citizen Kane_?" Kurt nodded. "Why does that not surprise me? ...Charles Foster Kane was supposed to be the very epitome of wealth and privilege; he had everything the common man could not even _begin_ to dream of. But in the final moments of his life, his final word, his one wish, his sole desire…was _Rosebud_: a child's sled: a _toy_. All he wanted was the most simple, _pure_ thing he could think of. If you ever learn anything from me, Kurt, learn this; it isn't the big things in life that make you happy. It's the small things, the simple things.

"When David was four, he became obsessed with sports: football, to be specific. I could have bought him the Dallas Cowboys; instead, I got him a five-dollar football…a cushy, orange Nerf one. His eyes couldn't have lit up more if I _had_ bought him the Dallas Cowboys. I think that football was the best present he ever got. He still has it; it's completely wrecked, with chunks missing from it and permanent dirt streaks, but he loved that football more than any other toy he ever received. Big things, complicated things…they give us _bragging rights_, not happiness. _Olivine_ is simple; it makes me happy. You will _never_ see more than a dozen customers in here at any given time…aside from just before Christmas or Valentine's Day, but _Olivine_ has _never_ been a paycheck to me. It's a hobby: a giant toy."

"I think I understand." To Kurt, his question may have been answered, but it also raised others. "If you had been able to pick your domain, would you have stuck with wealth and the Underworld? Or would you have picked something else?"

"You know…" Paul seemed to turn inwards, looking inside himself. "I'm tens of thousands of years old…I don't think I have ever _once_ thought about what domain I would have selected for myself. Don't get me wrong, I've often thought about what I'd do differently if I had one of my sibling's domains, but I've never thought about which I would have _chosen_." Paul was quiet as he thought about what he _would_ have chosen. "What most people, even the ancients, fail to realize, is that we were _very_ young when we became the masters of the world. I was the oldest: probably no more than a hundred-twenty." From a mortal perspective, that was very old to Kurt…but in the grand scheme of things, Paul was barely a child. "Zeus was the youngest: about your age, I'd say.

"We were even younger if you take into account the fact that, aside from Zeus, we were never given a chance to _live_. Our father ate us as soon as we were born." Kurt had to shut down the logical part of his brain to just _accept_ what Paul was telling him. "Zeus never had a childhood, either. It was his birthright to take over our father, usurp him and end his tyranny. He had been raised with this in mind. He was always very strategically minded. The skies, the seas and the Underworld _had_ to be divvied up when we selected our domains, they needed to be conquered and controlled for life to flourish…and we _never_ would have thought of allowing one of our _sisters_ those prime domains. Male chauvinism, unsurprisingly, predates humankind. Zeus, if given the choice, probably would have selected war and military strategy as his domain. But he selected the skies for a similar reason; it was a very strategic stronghold. He could watch over everyone and everything from that vantage point. Poseidon selected the seas for their aesthetic appeal and I of course was left with the Underworld." Paul sighed, it sounded sad and somewhat defeated to Kurt. "If I were to be completely honest…I'd say I'd probably _still_ have picked the Underworld, even if I had the choice."

"But why?" To Kurt, god of the Underworld sounded like a miserable existence.

"I'm a lot like David. Far less aggressive, but he gets his self-consciousness from me, as well as his people skills. Most of what I do here, with customers, is faked or forced. Being around people is often fairly painful for me. The Underworld was dark and quiet and, at the time, pretty isolated and empty. I was very happy in those early days, being all alone in the Underworld. It wasn't until I met Sophie that I realized how lonely I had become."

"David says that the two of you are sickeningly cute together."

Paul quirked the corners of his lips. "Until David was born, she was my life. There was no light in my life that didn't come from Sophie…" Paul turned in on himself again, smiling fondly at the memories of the early days of his marriage. After many moments, he became re-aware of Kurt's presence. "So…I understand that there's a holiday this week, why don't you start work next week?"

xoxoxo

With the long weekend ahead of him, Kurt decided it would be prudent for him to begin studying up on David's family again. He stopped by the library on the way home from _Olivine_ and borrowed the _Odyssey_ and the _Iliad._

**xoxoxo**

**Those we've met so far:**

**David – son of Hades and Persephone**

**Paul – Hades (Pluto in Latin), god of the underworld and wealth (the Greeks believed that since precious jewels and metals came from underground that they were part of Hades realm)**

**Sophie – Persephone/Kore (Proserpina in Latin), goddess of spring and queen of the underworld**

**Aaron – Eros (Cupid in Latin), god of love**

**Sarah – Psyche (Psyche in Latin), goddess of the soul**

**Homer – an old rat David befriended in the Underworld**

**Di – Aphrodite (Venus in Latin) Goddess of love and beauty**

**Harry – Hermes (Mercury in Latin) Messenger of the gods and escort of souls to the Underworld**

**Apollo – (Apollo in Latin) God of the sun, medicine, knowledge, music, and poetry**

**Demetria – Demeter (Ceres in Latin) Goddess of the harvest and seasons**

**Zeus – (Jupiter in Latin) King of the gods and god of the sky **

**Hera – (Juno in Latin) Queen of the gods and goddess of Marriage, women and birth**

**Morpheus – (Morpheus in Latin) god of dreams**

**Icelus – (couldn't find an accurate Latin variation) – god of nightmares**

**Artemis – (Diana in Latin) goddess of the hunt, wilderness, the moon**

**Priapus – (Mutunus Tutunus in Latin) minor god of fertility, gardens and male genitalia (he's also the reason you should call your doctor if you have an erection lasting longer than 3 hours…lol)**

**Hedone – (Voluptas in Latin) goddess of sexual pleasure, bliss**

**Donny – Adonis (Adonis in Latin) male god of male beauty and desire**


	35. One Ring to Rule Them All

By Tuesday, David's eyes were starting to hurt. He wasn't used to focusing on something so small for so long. His father had never trusted him with a repair job this difficult before. But Kurt trusted him…either that or he just didn't realize how difficult the task was. Or there was of course the possibility that Kurt knew _exactly_ how difficult it was and was counting on David's failing so he'd have a good reason to break up with him…but it was only when David was _really_ tired that he allowed himself to think like that.

By the time _Olivine_ closed on Tuesday, the wedding band was one solid, uniform loop again.

Now David just had to worry about the engagement ring. _That_ would be the worse of the two. Engagement rings typically weren't uniform to begin with: generally the metal was narrower along the lower shank than the top shank. That was the case with Kurt's mom's engagement ring. Not only that, but the upper shank split into two shoulders to support the emeralds and diamond. The next few days would be a nightmare.

xoxoxo

"I'm thankful that Burt's heart hasn't given us any frights in a while." Kurt, Finn and Burt all raised their glasses to Carol's statement.

"_I'm_ thankful that Rachel and I have gone a few months without _any_ fighting." Kurt and Carol raised their glasses to that one; they were the ones who usually had to deal with Finn whenever he and Rachel were having relationship issues. For some odd reason, Finn still didn't feel too comfortable going to his stepfather with relationship problems.

"I'm thankful that we had the chance to have one _real_ Thanksgiving, with all of us together before the two of you go off to college and don't want anything to do with your old folks anymore."

"You know I will _always_ come home for the holidays, Dad. _I'm_ thankful that I have my _first_ official job, starting next week." Kurt smiled haughtily. He had been keeping it a secret.

"Oh, congratulations, Kurt!" Carol beamed at him.

"Where are you working, kiddo?"

"It's just a small retail store; independently owned and operated. It specializes in fashion accessories. You've probably never heard of it; it's just outside Lima. It's called _Olivine_."

"Congratulations, Kurt. I'm proud of you." Burt smiled warmly at his son. As much as he hated to see his little boy grow up, he _was _pleased to see him growing into a responsible adult with thoughts towards the future and his own financial wellbeing.

xoxoxo

Kurt was running late for class. The vacation had really thrown him for a loop. From the moment he got up that morning, he had been running late. Technically, he had had an hour to get to school when he woke up, but that left _no_ time for him to shower, get his face and hair done, pick out a decent outfit _and_ hit the road. He didn't even have time for a solid breakfast, so here he was, running down the hall, coffee in hand, trying to get to homeroom on time.

When he got to the hall his locker was in, he saw that the crowds had completely dispersed…aside from David. David was leaning against Kurt's locker, his head down, staring at the little box balanced between his fingers. Kurt recognized it immediately and slowed his steps. _This_ was worth being late for.

Kurt stopped a few feet away from David and rocked back and forth on his heels until David noticed him. Looking up, David smiled softly, showing off his dimples. He looked tired. "I feel like I should get down on one knee or something." Looking over his shoulder to make sure they were alone, David thrust the velvet box at Kurt.

Taking the box, Kurt pecked David on the cheek, aiming for one of his dimples, before opening it up. David just watched as Kurt's eyes went wide. The rings were completely restored: as good as new. Just like David had promised. Kurt couldn't really remember them being in one piece. He had been so young when they were destroyed that his only memories of them came from pictures. Pictures did _not_ do them justice. They were absolutely stunning. If his father had picked them out, perhaps he didn't give his father's fashion sense enough credit. "These are absolutely _perfect_, David." Kurt picked up the wedding band and turned it over in his fingers. He could see scrawling loops etched inside: _from now until forever_. "There's an inscription?"

"Yep. It was pretty scratched up, but my dad just 'read' the gold's 'memory' to see what it had originally said. Then I re-did the inscriptions."

"That's astounding…I can't believe how amazing these turned out." Kurt stood on tiptoe to kiss David again, this time on the lips. It was a deep, not-appropriate-for-school kind of kiss that would have gotten them both in trouble if teachers were around, so they kept it short. When Kurt lowered himself back down to the heels of his feet, he had both rings slipped onto his finger, wedding band first, then the engagement ring.

David noticed, "Um…people are going to think I proposed."

Kurt held up his hand for David to inspect the rings. "And would that be so horrible? Besides, they're on my _right_ hand, not my left."

David flushed red, happily embarrassed. "You don't mind people starting rumors? I mean…we've only been dating two weeks."

Kurt shrugged, "I don't mind if you don't mind. I never understood why some people date people they can't picture themselves spending the rest of their lives with…it seems like such a waste of time, to me."

"I never thought about it really, but I guess I see your point. And I could _totally_ see us spending the rest of our lives together. You could pick out my outfits for me every morning; I could be your bodyguard when you're at the Oscars, or whatever. I could do your taxes, too, my dad taught me how."

As they headed to Kurt's first period class, Kurt took David's hand and squeezed it fondly. "You know…if I had said something like that to _Blaine_, he would have turned tail and _run_, as fast as he could, in the opposite direction."

David kept his mouth shut, but thought bitterly to himself, _I basically tell you I want to_ **marry** _you and your first instinct is to compare me to_ _your_ **ex**. _Am I the only one who sees something wrong with that?_

xoxoxo

Kurt's friends were the only ones who commented on the rings. He simply told them each the same thing; "They were my mother's and David just fixed them for me." They all accepted that without question, except for Finn, who got a bit confused, thinking that Kurt meant Carol when he said 'mother' instead of Elizabeth Hummel.

Because of football, David didn't work at _Olivine_ that afternoon. Kurt did, however, and Paul showed him around, teaching him where to find the keys for the display cases, cabinets, and the doors and showing him the computer and register login information. He told him what his duties would be, what the dress code comprised of and gave him a copy of his schedule. His schedule basically matched David's, which made sense considering _why_ Paul had hired him, and the dress code wouldn't be a problem in the slightest seeing as Kurt _lived_ for dressing up.

Given the amount of employees, the amount (or rather, lack) of customers, and the few responsibilities Kurt had, he had no doubt he would have a _lot_ of downtime. That was fine with him, though. It would give him more time to study jewelry repair, appraisal, and research the different companies they did business with and competed against. His first goal was to get the back office straightened, however. He couldn't bare to be in there for more than a few minutes and the idea of putting his jacket and bag down in there made his skin crawl.

It was almost seven when Kurt got home. He had helped lock up _Olivine_ and was absolutely astounded that he got to see several of the nymphs _teleport_ home at the end of the day.

Walking in the front door of his home, he could smell artificial cheese and burned pasta. His dad was trying to make macaroni and cheese in the microwave again…it was cute when he tried. "Did you put it in for too long, set the power too high or not use enough water?"

Burt looked up from stirring the sticky glob of overcooked noodles in the plastic Tupperware. "Uh…a little of each I think." Kurt smiled; he would miss this when he went to college…well, not the mess, but everything else. "How was your first day of work?"

"It was really great. My boss is very laid back and I'll have a lot of free reign to study fashion and fashion accessories."

"That's great, I know you enjoy all that…" Burt faltered while searching for the right word. Instinctively, he wanted to say 'crap,' because that's how he _thought_ of fashion, but he knew that would insult Kurt, "stuff. Whatcha wearing?" Burt nodded towards Kurt's hand.

Kurt ran his left hand over the rings on his right hand before glancing down at them and then raising his hand for his father's inspection. "They're mom's. I had them fixed."

Burt placed his hand under Kurt's, supporting it while he looked over his belated-wife's rings. "Where'd you get them?"

"They were in your bureau. Same place you've always kept them."

Burt's expression was unreadable, but Kurt could sense the sorrow lurking just beneath the surface. His dad missed his mother so much. "I really wish you'd said something to me Kurt. What if they'd been destroyed?"

"The jeweler assured me he'd be able to fix them. I wouldn't have let him if I didn't trust him one hundred percent." Kurt pulled his hand back from his father and slipped the rings off his finger. It had been fun wearing them, but at the same time he had caught himself fidgeting with them every few minutes, just to be sure they were still there.

"Where'd you take them? Belden's? Hannoush?"

Kurt shook his head. "No…um…actually. David's dad owns a jewelry store. David's been working there for years."

Burt narrowed his eyes. "David _Karofsky_?"

Kurt handed his father the rings before folding his hands together, pleading. "Please, Dad. David's a really great guy. He wants to atone for everything he's done. Just…give him a chance, please?"

Burt clutched the rings in his fist looking down at it as he felt the sharp stones dig into his palm. "Who did you trust _your mother's_ rings to, Kurt? Paul or his _son_?"

"David fixed the rings, Dad. I told you, I trust him."

"You trusted _him_ with _your mother's_ rings? How the hell could you be so nearsighted? And foolish?"

"I _trust_ him, Dad." Kurt sucked in his breath. "You don't know the whole story, Dad…about everything that happened last year."

Burt was taken aback by that. "Oh, yeah? Care to 'enlighten' me, then?"

"I… _knew_ something about David. Something he was _terrified_ of other people finding out. He was afraid his family would disown him. He was partly right to be afraid of that, too."

Kurt could almost hear his dad's teeth grinding. "What kind of secret would be _bad_ enough for a parent to disown their child? And how the hell could you _trust_ him?"

"He's gay, Dad. David's gay and I knew."

Burt was in quiet shock for a moment. Murderer? That Burt could imagine. Arsonist? Sure, why not?

It had never, not for a second, crossed his mind that David might be gay. "He's gay? And his family's got a problem with it?" It didn't seem likely to Burt that Paul would take issue with it…but then again, you could never tell with some people until it actually happened.

"Paul's ok with it. He was kind of… _iffy_ at first, but he promised David he'd never stop loving him and that they'd deal with it together. His mother's another story. She's basically unreasonable. His mother's sister is one of those asses that thinks being gay is a punishment from God or something." It was the simplest way he could summarize Aphrodite's feelings on the matter, and when it came to "love" she was the expert…supposedly.

Burt nodded. "The kid's got issues, Kurt. I can _almost_ get where he was coming from. It doesn't excuse anything he did last year and I still don't trust him: won't ever. I know that you feel it's your 'job' or something to reach out to him, since he's like you, but I advise you to give him some space, Kurt. At least until he has everything figured out. It's only been a year. He's probably still a bit volatile."

"He _has_ everything figured out, Dad. He's come out to his family, he's dealing with his mother's rejection, he's out at school, he has the support of our teachers, he's joined glee…he's finally his _own_ person." His dad seemed more amenable on the subject of David than Kurt had ever seen him. Tentatively, Kurt ventured forth. "We've become pretty good friends this year. He helped me get my math grade back up, I've been helping him with his English and…well, you know, being gay. We like each other."

"You're a good kid, Kurt. You like _everybody_. But let him figure shit out on his own."

"Dad…you're not listening. We _like_ each other." Burt narrowed his eyes. "We _like_-like each other."

Burt started shaking his head back and forth. "No. Absolutely no. I was ok with the idea of you being the bigger man here and helping out a confused, dumb-ass kid, but there is _no way_ in hell that you are dating a boy that used to beat you up."

"He didn't 'beat me up,' Dad. He pushed me into lockers and called me a few names. Big whoop-dee-doo. He never _seriously_ hurt me. He threatened it and, we were both scared and stupid; I believed it and overreacted a little. It's nothing worse than the rest of the idiots at that school did to me."

"Did any of those other 'idiots' scare you into switching schools?"

"No, but neither did David. _You_ decided I needed to switch schools. I would have just dealt with it if you hadn't seen David tease me that day at school. Hell, Puck has done worse to me and you and he are practically best buddies."

"What do you mean 'Puck has done worse'? What did Puck do to you?"

"Stupid stuff: dumpster tosses, slushies, pee balloons. The point is he grew up. Just like David did. But at least David had a _reason_ for what he did. He was genuinely _terrified_."

"Pee balloons? What the hell do you mean pee balloons?"

Kurt felt himself shrink down a bit under his father's glare. He could see why David was so scared of his dad. "He and a few of his friends filled balloons with pee and threw them at me."

"Are you fucking kidding me, Kurt? Shit like that would get someone locked up for a hell of a long time. It isn't just harmless pranks! That's sexual assault! It's meant to tear you down: make you feel like you're nothing." Kurt was _very_ grateful he hadn't mentioned the locker room kiss; he couldn't even _begin_ to think about how his father would react to it. "You are breaking up with that boy, Kurt."

"Dad, _please_."

"You know what? Call him. Right now. Take your cell phone out, call him and tell him you two are over."

"Dad!"

Burt folded his arms across his chest. His voice went low and menacing. _"Now_ Kurt."

Slowly, painfully, Kurt pulled his cell phone out of his pocket. Hitting David's name under his 'favorites' he could feel his heart break a little when he saw David's picture pop up on the screen.

"Put it on speaker phone."

Kurt frowned and looked up at his father, his eyes wide and sad. "No." Kurt swiped his thumb over the disconnect button and pocketed the phone, maintaining eye contact with his father and watching as his face went from stunned disbelief, to shock, to anger. Kurt had never stood up to his father before, not like this.

"What do you mean 'no'?"

Kurt closed his eyes and steeled himself. His father had never really yelled at him before, and he'd certainly never laid a hand on him in anger…but Kurt had never pushed his father this far before; he had no frame of reference for what to expect. "I have a _great_ deal of respect for you, Dad…when you're _right_. But you are _wrong_ about David. He's a good person. I couldn't ask for a better boyfriend." Kurt could feel his phone buzzing away in his pocket: most likely David calling him back. "I understand if I'm grounded because of this. Just leave the terms and conditions somewhere for me to find them." Kurt turned around and slunk to his bedroom, trying to be as unimposing as possible.

He let his phone go to voicemail and then shot off a quick text to David: **I need to dream of you tonight**

**xoxoxo**

**Those we've met so far:**

**David – son of Hades and Persephone**

**Paul – Hades (Pluto in Latin), god of the underworld and wealth (the Greeks believed that since precious jewels and metals came from underground that they were part of Hades realm)**

**Sophie – Persephone/Kore (Proserpina in Latin), goddess of spring and queen of the underworld**

**Aaron – Eros (Cupid in Latin), god of love**

**Sarah – Psyche (Psyche in Latin), goddess of the soul**

**Homer – an old rat David befriended in the Underworld**

**Di – Aphrodite (Venus in Latin) Goddess of love and beauty**

**Harry – Hermes (Mercury in Latin) Messenger of the gods and escort of souls to the Underworld**

**Apollo – (Apollo in Latin) God of the sun, medicine, knowledge, music, and poetry**

**Demetria – Demeter (Ceres in Latin) Goddess of the harvest and seasons**

**Zeus – (Jupiter in Latin) King of the gods and god of the sky **

**Hera – (Juno in Latin) Queen of the gods and goddess of Marriage, women and birth**

**Morpheus – (Morpheus in Latin) god of dreams**

**Icelus – (couldn't find an accurate Latin variation) – god of nightmares**

**Artemis – (Diana in Latin) goddess of the hunt, wilderness, the moon**

**Priapus – (Mutunus Tutunus in Latin) minor god of fertility, gardens and male genitalia (he's also the reason you should call your doctor if you have an erection lasting longer than 3 hours…lol)**

**Hedone – (Voluptas in Latin) goddess of sexual pleasure, bliss**

**Donny – Adonis (couldn't find the Latin variation) male god of male beauty and desire**


	36. Daddy Drama

"I thought you considered my dream-walking 'invasive'?"

Kurt walked the short distance to David and wrapped his arms around him. He really needed a hug and who better than your own personal teddy bear? He had absolutely no idea where his dream was supposed to be; everything was dark and muddled and hazy…just like his mood. "I told my dad about us. He wants us to break up."

If it were possible, Kurt would say that David's ears had drooped. His eyes were downcast, his lips downturned and his head bent. "I know how much your dad means to you. Maybe we could just _pause_ things for a little bit while I prove myself to him?"

"How do you plan on doing that? Besides, I told him I wasn't going to break up with you. I told him 'no.'"

David put his hands on Kurt's shoulders and held him at arms length. "Are you kidding me? Kurt, you probably gave him a heart attack just _telling_ him about us. Disobeying him will probably _kill_ him."

Kurt pulled David's hand off his shoulder and kissed at the bottom of his palm, where his hand met his wrist. "I'm not worried, your dad's the god of the _Underworld_, wouldn't he just _tell_ me if my dad was going to die?"

David shook his head, taking his hand out of Kurt's. "It doesn't _work_ like that. My dad usually doesn't even know." Kurt furrowed his brow. "The Fates are the only ones who know when people are going to die. My dad doesn't find out until he gets the paperwork for processing…at _max_ two weeks ahead of time. Thanatos, death itself, doesn't find out until he's supposed to go and collect them."

"So he still could have told me if what I was going to do would send him over the edge."

"Kurt, I love you more than I have _ever_ loved anyone…but you're a _mortal_. We _can't_ really do you special favors like that. Yes, we can do little things…my dad can help you maximize your talents when it comes to anything jewelry related, my mom and grandma can make you a master of gardening, but anything 'otherworldly'…letting you be _privy_ to what would otherwise be confidential information, my dad could get in a _lot_ of trouble for that. Allowing mortals to know what the future holds is too dangerous. That's why there haven't been oracles in a _long_ time…they caused too much trouble."

Kurt nodded; even if it disappointed him, he could understand what David was telling him. "Ok…so how do you plan on winning my dad over?"

"I figure I could just try and get to know him. Be myself."

Kurt snorted. "…Oh. You're _serious_?" Kurt snorted again.

xoxoxo

As Kurt had requested, when he woke up he found a list of the conditions of his ground-ation on the kitchen counter:

**1 – break up with him**

**2 – no cell phone**

**3 – come straight to the garage/home after glee/work**

**4 – get me Paul Karofsky's contact information**

**5 – don't expect any trips to the mall for the next few _months_**

**6 – hand over your credit cards, debit cards, and check book**

**7 – no online shopping either**

Two, five, six and seven seemed like no-brainers to Kurt. Three just seemed juvenile. Four worried him a bit and one just wasn't happening. Kurt pulled his cell phone out of his pocket, took a picture of the list of demands and texted it to David, then left his phone on top of the list for his father to find.

The list made it obvious to Kurt that his father was trying to limit any time Kurt could spend with David. Luckily for Kurt, they still had school together, glee club, Kurt's dreams and it was obvious his father hadn't figured out Kurt worked with David, yet.

xoxoxo

David had _avoided_ him all day.

Kurt knew David wanted to respect Burt's wishes within reason and everything, at least until he could ingratiate himself with Burt, but as far as Kurt was concerned, David's _boyfriend's_ wishes should trump said boyfriend's _father's_ wishes. How was it that David knew how to rub Kurt _just_ the wrong way? And _then_ of course when he got to work, David was nowhere to be seen. "Your son is a pain in the ass, Paul."

"So I've heard. His heart's in the right place, though."

"Do you even know what's going on?" Kurt unlocked the back room, tossed his jacket over the back of David's chair and returned to the sales floor.

"Of course I do. You think my son doesn't talk to me? But, here's the thing you have to understand, Kurt, David has had front row seats to my on-going battle with Demetria for almost eighteen years. He somehow has it stuck in his head that you and him - _as_ a "you and him" – will last forever. As such, he wants to _start_ your relationship in relatively good terms with your father."

Kurt felt his heart get heavy. "You don't think David and I _will_ last?"

Paul looked up from his work, a look of disbelief on his face. "Kurt, I always thought of you as being _so_ much more sensible and down-to-earth than David. You _have_ to understand that these things _never_ last forever, correct?"

Kurt folded his arms over his chest, hugging himself tight. "Well…I figured since _Eros_ wanted us together it would just…_stick_. Eros told Adonis we would be together for a _long_ time…I thought he meant god-long…not reality tv-long."

Paul shook his head sadly. "Kurt, you're mortal. What do you think _Eros_ can do about that?" Seeing Kurt's hurt expression, Paul decided to try a more tactful approach. "Kurt, think about what you know about my family. Things _never_ ended well between gods and mortals. Zeus accidentally killed Semele…almost killing Dionysus in the process. Poseidon loved Medusa…so he raped her and in turn Athena turned her into a monster. Hephaestus loved a virgin women and she gave birth to a monster named Kakos that killed her and terrorized an entire town. Aglaulus and Hermes were in love and he accidentally turned her to stone. Ares fell in love with a mortal named Aerope, but rather mundanely, she died during childbirth. There aren't a whole lot of happy endings for mortals and gods, Kurt. Dreaming is dangerous. Enjoy what you and David have now, but don't bank your future on it."

Kurt winced, but nodded. He was eighteen; no matter _whom _(or what) he was dating, it was foolish of him to fantasize about a forever-future with someone. That didn't make today suck any less, though. "So…how about I go try and clean the back office?"

Realizing that Kurt was sad and wanted some time to himself, Paul nodded. Kurt's presence on the sale floor wasn't all that critical at the moment.

xoxoxo

Meanwhile, back in Lima at Hummel Tire and Lube, Burt watched as a shiny, blue Toyota Tundra pulled in to the parking lot. He could see David Karofsky in the driver's seat, but was pretty certain David hadn't seen him yet. Didn't matter, he was positive that David's being there was no accident; there was a Toyota dealership with attached garage Dave could take his vehicle to, as well as two of those drive-through oil change places and another full-service garage. There was no reason that Karofsky would choose _Hummel_ Tire and Lube unless he were there to see Burt.

David was fidgeting to pull his wallet out of his pocket as he walked up to the front desk. "What do you want, kid?"

"I need an oil change."

"Uh-huh. And give me one good reason why _I_ should be the one to do it?" Burt leaned his hands on the desk and glared down at David. "I have a mind to kick you the hell out of here."

David pulled back in surprise. "Isn't that _illegal?_"

"Nope. I have a legal right to refuse business to anyone for any reason so long as I'm not discriminating."

"Wow…that's kind of…_wow_. Anyway, I'm really here to talk to you. Getting my oil changed would be nice seeing as I'm about two thousand miles due, but it can wait."

Burt raised an eyebrow. "You haven't had your oil changed in seven thousand miles?" David shrugged. He had no idea how long it had been since he had his oil changed; he just knew the light had been flashing for about 1,800 miles. Burt shook his head. If Kurt was really dating this dumbass, then it was likely he'd ride in his truck. Burt would do anything he could to keep Kurt from dating this creep, but he wasn't very hopeful about his odds and he was more interested in making sure Kurt was safe. "Pull it into the first bay." David smiled and jogged back out to his Toyota while Burt opened up the first garage door. "How long has it been since you had your tires rotated?"

"Ummm…" David's 'um' drifted off into nothingness, before he shrugged.

"What kind of work _have_ you had done on your vehicle?"

"I had the fan belt replaced last year. Other than that I usually just take it to the shop when the little light comes on."

Burt rolled his eyes. "How's it handling?"

David never really put too much thought into his vehicle. He wasn't that good when it came to anything mechanical. But Kurt had complained several times about different things his car did and he'd never really thought about it before. He decided that since Kurt knew cars pretty well, he should just parrot back what Kurt had said to him. "It's slow to over-turn."

"Do you mean 'turn over'?"

"I don't know. When you put the key in and turn it on. Kurt said it takes too long to…for the engine to…do its thing."

Burt grit his teeth and shut his eyes. He had dealt with some pretty dense customers before, but usually the teenage boys at least had _some_ idea about what was going on with their cars. He pulled out his cell phone and was about to call Kurt and ask for a run-down of all the things he'd noticed about David's vehicle when he remembered Kurt's phone was sitting on the kitchen table back home. "Hand me your keys?" Burt pushed his cell phone back into his shirt pocket while David handed over his keys. "Get in the passenger seat; we're gonna go for a ride so I can figure out what the hell kinds of torture you've inflicted on this poor P.O.S."

"Bubba is _not_ a piece of shit. Bubba is an awesome car."

Hopping in and pulling the seat belt across his chest Burt nodded, adjusting the mirrors and seats to his own height. He and David weren't too far off height-wise, making it easier to adjust everything appropriately. "I agree one hundred percent. Toyota Tundras are a wonderfully reliable vehicle…if you _take care_ of them." Burt turned the key in the ignition and listened to the engine turning over…definitely took too long. Burt threw the vehicle into reverse once David had secured his seat belt. "So, you want to talk, talk."

"Kurt told me about what happened yesterday. I'm _really_ sorry Mr. Hummel. I wanted you to get to know me and all that before Kurt and I told you we were dating-"

"So the two of you were going to go behind my back?"

"No! No sir. Kurt and I have only been dating for about two weeks now. We _wanted_ you to know…we just…knew you wouldn't be happy."

"That's one way of putting it." The steering wheel was shaking and it wasn't just David's fear of Burt transferring to the car. It was probably because the tires needed rotating and balancing…they were probably low on air, too.

"I _love_ Kurt, sir. I know, after everything that happened last year, that might be a bit hard for you to buy, but it's true. I was stupid and confused and scared."

"So Kurt tells me."

"If it weren't for your son, I'd still be cowering in the closet."

"So, by dating my son you get a therapist, a shoulder to cry on, emotional support, you get all of Kurt's built-in friends…what's Kurt getting out of this relationship?"

David was quiet and thoughtful. "I have no idea. He assures me that he loves me, but I have no idea why. He says we go well together and that I make him happy, but I just don't get it. He's _perfect…I'm_ just me."

Burt _really_ wanted to say something about how young and stupid David sounded…until he realized he sounded the _exact_ same as himself when he was courting Elizabeth. Elizabeth was his sun, moon and stars…he was just the poor, balding son of a mechanic. Burt looked at David out of the corner of his eye. He _really_ didn't like that kid. But Kurt saw who he _could_ be, just as Elizabeth had seen who _he_ could be…_dammit._ "Kurt says your family's kinda religious? Not too happy about the whole 'you coming out' thing?"

David nodded. "My dad's pretty fine with it, but my mom…we haven't spoken much lately." David sighed, leaning his forehead into his fist and resting his elbow on the window. "When I realized I was gay…I figured it was like…wrath of god or something. I was being punished for some shit I didn't even know I did. I took it out on Kurt…like a dumbass."

Burt nodded, trying to focus on what David was saying while making mental notes of things he'd need to check out on the truck when they got back to the shop. "Your pops go to school in Lima?"

"No sir. Both my parents are immigrants."

"Huh." Burt thought about that a minute. "When we were back in the principal's office – second time around – he said something. I thought he was being snide: trying to be cute-"

"My dad doesn't really _do_ 'snide.' Sarcastic? Yes. Goofy, definitely. Snide? Not so much."

"He said something along the lines of 'remember how we treated the gays when we were your age'…I thought he was trying to be funny: that he knew…" Burt's sentence fell off into oblivion, like he hadn't meant to say it to begin with. He was stoic for a few moments while he pieced together what he _wanted_ to say. "When I was in school…it was a different world. A lot of the older kids I hung around with, they could still remember when segregation, separate schools for blacks and whites, was still a reality. The idea of 'gay pride'…or even 'gay _rights_' wasn't ever even thought of. There were no 'coming out' parties, or whatever the hell you call 'em. If a kid came out…he was lucky he didn't get _tossed_ out. There was this kid at my school…your school actually, McKinley. He was a small little thing: delicate. He had a lisp, didn't play sports, was too smart for his own good. No one looked twice when the kid got the tar beat out of him on a weekly basis. The teachers figured he deserved it; he was bringin' it on himself. I used to be on the football team, you know? All of us, all the jocks, we used to take turns just _wailing_ on this kid. No one thought anything of it. I don't even know if he _was_ gay. He certainly never 'came out.' It didn't matter though, he _acted_ gay and that was enough for us. One day…he didn't come to school anymore."

David thought he heard Burt's voice crack a little, but didn't say anything.

"None of us cared that he didn't come back. No one asked 'why'. It wasn't even until years later that I thought…I wondered…" Again, Burt let his sentence hang unfinished in the air. "I couldn't even find out what happened to him if I tried. I never even knew his name; he was that _insignificant_ to us. We just called him 'Nancy.'

"When Kurt was born, it was the _happiest_ day of my goddamned life. But even when he was little, I knew…I _knew_. I thought God was getting revenge on me for all that shit I did in high school. It broke my heart to know that someday he could end up like that poor kid I _tortured_ in school. And then I saw _you_…humiliating my kid, making him afraid to go to school, threatening to _kill_ him. Two thousand and eleven…things like that shouldn't _happen_ anymore…bullies like you…like _us_…they shouldn't _exist_ anymore. I knew you; I knew your type. I knew it would take a friggin' miracle for you to see how evil you were, same way as me…maybe…waking up one day to realize that your kid, your _baby_ that you love more than _anything_ in the whole damn world, is the same thing as the thing you hated. And you'd start to wonder why? Why did you hate it? What wrong had it… _they_ ever done to you? To anyone? It's the stupidest goddamned shit in the world when you think about it…to hate someone, because they _love_ someone; because they _love_. To hate because of _love_."

By now Burt _was_ crying. Pools of tears were welled up in the corners of his eyes and his nostrils flared as he tried to contain his breathing. David wasn't used to this; his dad never cried. Neither did his mom, for that matter. _He_ cried every now and then…but never in front of anyone. No one except Kurt and Homer and his mom, and they always knew exactly what to do, what to say. David didn't. So he stared. Not at Burt, that would have been weird. Instead he stared straight ahead out the windshield, trying to hide his nervousness about the whole situation.

When Burt had composed himself again, he took a deep, steadying breath. "I'm not gonna fight you about my son anymore. It's _stupid_ to hate someone because they love. It's stupid of me to hate you because you love my son."

"You hate me because I _hurt_ Kurt. That's a big difference. I hate me for that, too."

Burt shook his head. "No…I hear Kurt and Finn when they talk to me, believe it or not. I know what's been going on; I know you've changed. I stopped hating you for what you did because you figured your shit out _so much quicker_ than I ever did. I hate you because after everything that's happened, you _love_ my son…and he loves you. I don't get it. But then again, there's a _lot_ about my son and his little personal world I don't get. I'm not gonna stand between the two of you anymore." Burt unbuckled his seat belt and exited the truck. Dave hadn't even noticed they were back in the garage again. He was about to unbuckle his own belt when Burt popped up at his window. "But so help me god…you _ever_ hurt my boy again, I can and _will_ kill you. And I can make it look like an accident." Burt went back around to the driver's side and popped the hood. "Believe me, there's so much crap going on with this shit-mobile, no one would _ever_ question a little 'accident.'"

David was genuinely terrified. Burt Hummel was one scary SOB.

xoxoxo

"I had an interesting visitor at the garage today."

Kurt paused in the process of adding breadcrumbs to the ground beef when he heard his father's voice behind him. He knew exactly who his dad was talking about and wondered for a moment if he'd have to call Paul to tell him where he could recover his son's body. Instead, he simply replied, "Oh?"

"I don't like that kid. I don't think I'll _ever_ like him. He will _always_ be the dumb bully who scared my only kid shitless." Kurt nodded. He could understand his father's reasoning; it was his only real, memorable experience with David. Of course his father felt that way _now_…but given enough time he could replace those old memories of David with new, better ones...hopefully. "And you are _not_ to _ever_ drive in that kid's truck; I had to replace all four tires, his battery, a tail light, both license plate lamps, his rear brakes, and he's gonna need new struts soon and I'm gonna take a closer look at his transmission when he brings it in again this weekend; I don't like the noises it's making. By rights I shoulda kept it at the shop. I don't know what the hell that kid's been doing, but he is _destroying_ that sad excuse for a vehicle.

Kurt smiled. It _almost_ sounded like his father was trying to crack a joke. That _had_ to be a good sign, right? "David does a little bit of off-roading. His parents basically live on a big farm and he and his mother have to move plants, trees, and vegetables from the farm to the nursery all the time. Plus, he has absolutely _no_ mechanical aptitude."

"Don't think for a second you aren't still grounded. You went behind my back to date this schmuck, knowing full-well how I felt about him, and then you have the nerve to tell me 'no' last night. I feel like I can't trust you anymore."

"I told you 'no' because I _want_ you to trust me dad." Burt was about to ask how the hell that made sense when Kurt cut him off. "I'm not going to break up with someone I _really_ like. I'd rather tell you 'no' then continue to date him behind your back; if I want you to trust my judgment, I need you to trust _me_. And we weren't dating behind your back to begin with. It's only been two weeks; I'd say we're well within a reasonable period of allowable time to inform people we're dating."

Burt rubbed his hand over his face and head. Understanding Kurt sometimes took more brainpower than he was willing to use outside of working hours. "You're still grounded for the foreseeable future. Did you get Paul Karofsky's number for me?"

Kurt pulled the piece of notepaper out of his breast pocket. "The top number is his cell phone, second one is his home phone and the bottom one is his work number. While we're being honest with one-another, I think it's only fair to tell you that Paul is the one that hired me. _Olivine_ is _his_ store."

"Anything _else_ you feel like telling me?"

Kurt shook his head. "Nothing _bad_… David and I have been tutoring each other for a while now, I think I told you that last night?…It's what prompted us to start dating. David's mom and grandma own and operate _Eternal Spring_ on the edge of town. David's family all knows we're dating and those that matter, minus David's mom, all approve of us being together…though Paul is somewhat protective of David and only _offered_ me my job so he could make sure I wasn't taking unfair advantage of David-"

"What do you mean 'unfair advantage'?"

Kurt shrugged nonchalantly. "David's family is fairly… _well-off_. Given my tastes for the finer things in life, Paul just wants to make sure I'm not a gold-digger or using David."

"If you _aren't_ 'using' him, why _do_ you like him?" Kurt looked affronted. "You have almost nothing in common."

Kurt smiled softly to himself. "You're right. We don't really _complement_ each other all that much, but we do _supplement_ each other very well. Opposites attract. But even the things that are _complete_ opposites for us, we can still talk intelligently about, together. And David's _extremely_ bright and interesting to talk to. He's probably the first guy I've _ever_ met that can meet me, toe-to-toe in an intellectual conversation. Blaine and I could talk politics, theatre or music…but David and I can talk politics, music, ethics, philosophy, arts, sciences, literature…just not mechanics, apparently. And not only that, but he's really humble about it…almost obnoxiously so. I'm trying to help him with his self-esteem issues."

"Look Kurt…I get that, as much as I'm against it, you're going to date that gorilla. If he _ever_ hurts you in _any_ way, you need to come _straight_ to me. He's already proven he can get violent. You need to respect yourself enough to remember that violence is _never _love_, _is never even a _part_ of love."

Kurt nodded. "I know, Dad. Besides, I think Dave would sooner kill _himself_ then ever hurt me again. You have no idea how often he _still_ apologizes for everything that happened last year. It gets _really_ annoying after a while."

"That's _good_ though, Kurt. It means he isn't just brushing off or ignoring his actions. So long as he _means_ it when he says he's sorry."

"Trust me, Dad, He means it."

**xoxoxo**

**Those we've met so far:**

**David – son of Hades and Persephone**

**Paul – Hades (Pluto in Latin), god of the underworld and wealth (the Greeks believed that since precious jewels and metals came from underground that they were part of Hades realm)**

**Sophie – Persephone/Kore (Proserpina in Latin), goddess of spring and queen of the underworld**

**Aaron – Eros (Cupid in Latin), god of love**

**Sarah – Psyche (Psyche in Latin), goddess of the soul**

**Homer – an old rat David befriended in the Underworld**

**Di – Aphrodite (Venus in Latin) Goddess of love and beauty**

**Harry – Hermes (Mercury in Latin) Messenger of the gods and escort of souls to the Underworld**

**Apollo – (Apollo in Latin) God of the sun, medicine, knowledge, music, and poetry**

**Demetria – Demeter (Ceres in Latin) Goddess of the harvest and seasons**

**Zeus – (Jupiter in Latin) King of the gods and god of the sky **

**Hera – (Juno in Latin) Queen of the gods and goddess of Marriage, women and birth**

**Morpheus – (Morpheus in Latin) god of dreams**

**Icelus – (couldn't find an accurate Latin variation) – god of nightmares**

**Artemis – (Diana in Latin) goddess of the hunt, wilderness, the moon**

**Priapus – (Mutunus Tutunus in Latin) minor god of fertility, gardens and male genitalia (he's also the reason you should call your doctor if you have an erection lasting longer than 3 hours…lol)**

**Hedone – (Voluptas in Latin) goddess of sexual pleasure, bliss**

**Donny – Adonis (Adonis in Latin) male god of male beauty and desire**


	37. Approaching Zero Hour

**A/N: I've had a request that I remove the list at the bottom of the chapters and instead only post those that appear in the chapter, how do we feel about this?**

**Also, this chapter is pieced together from several snippets I wrote separately. They seemed to go decently together, so I thought 'why not?' But you'll notice that it might seem a bit disjointed, so I figured I'd forewarn you.  
><strong>

xoxoxo

At school the next day, David told Kurt about the talk he had with Burt Hummel. He didn't give him any specifics (he wasn't certain whether or not Burt wanted his son knowing what kind of person he'd been in high school) but instead had simply told him that he and Burt had had a heart-to-heart and Burt could tell that David was shaping up to be a good kid. Kurt hadn't pressed for details.

As David began to walk away, Kurt grabbed him in a fierce hug, his arms wedged under David's armpits as he squeezed him tightly. He pulled away briefly before pulling David into another tight; wrapping his arms around his waist this time. Mercedes tilted her head, staring at Kurt confusedly. Kurt normally wasn't an overly affectionate person. David looked equally confused. "Um…should I feel violated?"

Kurt just smiled coyly. "No. Is it wrong for me to love my boyfriend so much?" Kurt placed his hand on David's shoulder and let it trail seductively down his arm until he reached his wrist and held it in his hand, swinging their arms back and forth playfully.

David narrowed his eyes and then decided Kurt's playful mood must have something to do with their reconciliation with his dad. "O…_k_. Well, I'm going to be late for calc. I'll catch you at lunch, right? My house?"

"Yep. Love you, handsome." Kurt waggled his fingers at David as David turned around and walked off down the hall.

"All right…what are you up to?"

Kurt smiled devilishly. "Nothing…" Mercedes pursed her lips and planted her hands on her hips. Kurt seemed to melt into a giddy mess. "You can't tell anyone."

"Oh my god! You had sex!"

Kurt blushed and let out a nervous giggle. "No! Not yet, anyway." Kurt bit his lip at the thought of that. He was kind of sort of ready, in a general sense, but David hadn't tried pushing him or shown _any_ interest in that really. They'd only been dating a few weeks and David was still getting used to being 'out, loud and proud.' Kurt didn't feel like he should be the one to broach the subject; he'd let David decide when he was ready. "David's birthday is in a few weeks and I couldn't for the _life_ of me think of what to get him. His parents are _looaaddeedd_; they can buy him _anything_, and given that he's turning eighteen it's likely that anything _I_ get him will be vastly overshadowed by his other birthday presents."

"So, you're just going to molest him for his birthday?"

"_No." _Kurt shot Mercedes a playfully exacerbated look. "One thing _I_ can get for David that his _parents_ cannot, is a sense of fashion. I happen to know that David has something of a leather fetish – not in the sexual sense." Kurt cut off Mercedes almost the moment she opened her mouth to make a witty remark. "He _loves_ the look of leather and let me tell you, it looks _hot_ on him. The only problem is, it's really hard to _get_ him anything leather because he's against the horrific treatment of livestock."

"Oh please. He could suck a wildebeest through a straw…I'm pretty sure I've seen him do it."

Kurt held up a hand, agreeing with and placating Mercedes. "Very true, but only if that wildebeest is reared and slaughtered humanely. It's _really_ hard to tell if animals are slaughtered humanely, so he keeps kosher-slash-halaal. I have _no_ way to tell whether or not clothes are kosher."

"What the hell does _any_ of this have to do with you feeling him up in front of god and everybody?"

"I'm _getting_ there. _Any_way…I found this website that sells leather that comes from kosher cows. _I'm_ going to make him a leather jacket. I've been sewing since my parents were positive that I wouldn't ingest the needles."

"_Aaaannndddd?"_

"I am intimately familiar with my _own_ personal measurements, but it would be rather suspicious if I asked Dave to hold still for a few minutes while I wrapped him up in a cloth measuring tape. So I used my knowledge of my _own_ body to take the measurements for his chest, waist, shoulder-to-wrist and wrist circumference."

Mercedes furrowed her brow while she thought that over. "That is pretty clever…_creepy_, but clever.

xoxoxo

"So if I _don't_ get in to NYADA, I may need your dad to help me 'eliminate' some of the competition…"

David sighed as he pushed the front door open. "Kurt, you know my dad can't-"

"I'm _joking_ with you, David. Jeez, way to have a sense of humor. Besides, I'm positive I can get in all on my own. Who's home?" Kurt passed David in the doorway as David held the door open for him (ever the gentleman) and saw that the television was on.

"Oh, Homer prefers to watch the TV down here every now and then. It's the only television in the house with a DVR."

Kurt's eyes went wide. "Your _rat_ watches _television_?"

"Yep. This is _Modern Marvels_, one of his favorite shows. Is this the episode on the Library of Congress?"

Kurt raised an eyebrow. "How the hell should _I_ know?"

David smiled at Kurt and bent over the back of the couch. "I wasn't asking _you_; I was asking Homer." David reached his hand down and stroked the rat's back. Homer scuttled into David's hand and climbed up his arm until he was sitting on his shoulder.

"Wait…you can _talk_ to him? I mean, you understand him? And he understands you?" Kurt almost fainted when the pudgy rodent raised a paw and _waved_ at him.

"Well, yeah. Of course. I can understand _all_ animals and they can understand me. I can also control them if need be; but, you already knew that. Homer's my sacred animal…like Athena and the Owl, or Hera and the peacock."

Kurt dumbly waved back at Homer. "He doesn't hate me for how I um…_reacted_ the first time we met, does he?"

David shook his head. "No, Homer says he doesn't blame you. He says the vast majority of his kind are filthy, uncouth vermin not fit to lay claim to the vastly superior intelligence they're capable of." The rat looked at David for a moment; Kurt was pretty sure he could hear it letting out the tiniest of squeak-like noises. "_Sorry_. 'The vastly superior intelligence _of which_ they're capable.' Homer likes to be a grammar-Nazi."

_The rat was __**smart**_? Kurt felt like he should begin questioning everything he ever believed in. When he had overcome the shock of the fact that Homer was _correcting_ David's speech, he said the first thing that came to mind. "Tell Homer that the grammar rule 'you can't end sentences with a preposition' is one of the biggest grammar _myths_ that there is. Your first sentence was completely correct."

David turned to face Homer for a moment. To Kurt, it looked like they were having a staring competition. After a moment or so, David turned back to face Kurt, "I don't need to tell him; he understands you perfectly well. However, Homer would like me to tell you that even if he _did_ accept it as a myth, which he does not, given that I was quoting him, I should quote him _correctly_ instead of paraphrasing or changing his sentence structure." Homer nodded his head sharply, as though to say 'so there.'

Kurt was a bit taken aback by that. He'd never gotten in a fight with an animal before, but he had to confess, the rodent was pretty damned smart. Rather than admit defeat, Kurt turned his attention back to David. "Come on, let's get lunch before we have to head back to school."

David stroked Homer's head and scooped him off his shoulder and placed him on the back of the couch. "I made us salads last night. You like arugula in yours, right?"

"I _love_ arugula in mine."

xoxoxo

Later that afternoon, Kurt sat at the coffee table in his own living room, stacks of papers and his checkbooks spread out before him. The early admission application had been sent off to NYADA weeks ago, but there was still the horrific "what if?" to consider. NYU was a definite backup, as was Parson's, and then Boston University had somehow made it into the pile. He had his essays, transcripts, letters of recommendation and resumes all lined up. All he had to do was pack up each envelope and send them off.

Pavarotti was sitting on his shoulder, occasionally pecking at a tiny freckle on the side of his jaw line. At one point, Kurt had been forced to pull himself away from his work to go to the bathroom and see what had Pavarotti so transfixed; truth be told, he had never noticed the tiny little imperfection in his skin before. Oh well, nothing concealer wouldn't…conceal. As he sorted each of the piles of papers so that they were with the correct college (checking each essay twice as well as each letter of intent to make sure they didn't have the wrong college mentioned…oh, how embarrassing that would be), he whistled away. Every few strains, Pavarotti would take the tune up with a chirp here, a chirp there, or just a shrill whistle.

Kurt turned his head to kiss Pavarotti on his beak; Pavarotti fluffed up the feathers around his cheeks, making it look like he was blushing. "I'm going to have to live off campus; most colleges don't allow birds in the dorms." Pavarotti chirped. Kurt wasn't sure whether or not Pavarotti understood a word he was saying, but he still seemed to be listening, which was reassuring. He'd have to ask David later whether or not all animals could understand people, or if Homer was just special because he was David's sacred animal.

Once Kurt had loaded and sealed up the final envelope, Kurt placed his finger under Pavarotti's breast, prompting the canary to step up. Kurt took him back to his cage in his bedroom. He refreshed Pavarotti's water before digging through his closet for an appropriate outfit for work. He did his best to dress fashionably, while keeping modest, restrained and subtle. Perfectly tailored black dress pants, a button-up violet blouse and a fitted black suit jacket made him look classy and chic. Kurt smiled at his reflection and blew himself a kiss. The suit flattered him in many ways; he looked professional, intelligent and his ass looked _great_. Coiffing his hair a bit, Kurt decided he was ready for work.

xoxoxo

"How was school?"

"Hmm? It's kind of hard to focus on _high school_ right now." Kurt was in the back room at _Olivine,_ being shown all of the 'important' documents Paul kept around. " I sent out the last of my college applications today and now that's _all_ I can think about. Where will I be this time next year? What will I be doing? Will I enjoy it? Will I have any of my friends with me? Rachel and I are hoping to get into NYADA together. It's supposed to be one of _the best_ schools for musical theatre." Kurt flipped through the Buccellati advertisement that was at least five years old. He couldn't imagine _why_ Paul insisted on keeping out-dated magazines around. Half these designs probably weren't even produced any longer. "What do you think David's going to do when…_if_ he grows up?"

"I'm leaning towards crazy cat lady."

Kurt snickered. If ever there was a dream job for David that was it. "I know he doesn't _have_ to work, or anything, but what do you think he'd enjoy doing?"

Paul shrugged. "He'll probably _fall_ into whatever employment he winds up in. He lacks the ambition to actively _seek_ out anything."

Kurt pursed his lips. It wasn't that David lacked _ambition_; he lacked motivation. He had no _reason_ to inconvenience himself or to go outside his comfort zone. "Has he applied to any colleges, yet?"

"Texas A&M and UConn, that I'm aware of."

Kurt frowned. Those sounded like they were a _long_ way away from New York. Granted, since Kurt hadn't traveled a whole lot in his life, his internal measurement system was horrifically off (his failed trip to the Mall of America when he first got his license had proven how bad he was at judging time and distance), but he was pretty certain if David wound up in Texas their relationship would be _very_ long distance and he had a sneaking suspicion that UConn was a bit of a hike as well. "What's he planning in majoring in? Or is he basing it on sports programs?"

Paul shrugged again. "I try to stay out of it; he has all of eternity to figure out what he's good at and what interests him. I _do_ know that both of those schools have strong math and science programs, as well as formidable football teams." Kurt had a forlorn look on his face, not quite depressed, but more like a sense of defeat. Almost psychically Paul knew exactly what was upsetting Kurt. "Your relationship will last only as long as it's meant to last and you're willing to work for it." Kurt looked up from a stack of old _Bead and Button_ magazines. His expression looked moderately more hopeful. "Besides…his birthday is in a few weeks. He'll be able to have full use of his godly powers and domain soon." Kurt didn't seem to understand. "He'll be able to teleport; he'll be able to visit you whenever you want."

Kurt smiled and wiggled around a bit. It looked like he was trying to wag a tail he didn't own. Paul smiled at him; he liked his son dating someone so upbeat, perky and easy to please, even if he thought the relationship was doomed to failure. Kurt flipped through a second stack of magazines. Something unusual popped out at him, "Paul, _Friedman's_ doesn't even _exist_ anymore, why are you keeping these old magazines around?"

Paul took one of the magazines possessively from Kurt. "You never know when the information might come in handy." Kurt raised an eyebrow at Paul. "Do you have any idea how many people have lived and died since the Underworld came into existence? If you want to keep track of anything, paperwork is _crucial_. You need paperwork to keep organized."

Kurt nodded, his arms folded over his chest. "I agree… _if_ you can keep the paperwork organized. As it is, I doubt you can find anything in all these piles of garbage."

Paul looked somewhat taken aback and defensive. "You think _you_ can do a better job organizing all of this?" Paul gestured to the stacks of magazines, advertisements, invoices, receipts, tax forms and miscellaneous papers.

Kurt chewed over his lip for second, surveying the paperwork minefield he currently found himself surrounded by. Tentatively, he opened his mouth, fully aware of the amount of work he was about to create for himself. "Yes…but I can't do it with a Hewlett-Packard that's almost the same age as myself."

xoxoxo

"How the _hell_ did you convince my dad to upgrade the computers at work?" The moment David had shown up, dressed to the nines in a lovely navy-blue suit, with a silver vest and matching tie, Paul had shoved them both, Kurt and David, out the front door, company credit card in hand.

"Simple, I told him that he could eliminate almost _all_ of the paperwork in the backroom if he let me scan everything into PDF files. He _loved_ the idea, but your old desktops don't have _nearly_ enough resources to hold all those files and be able to open, read and search them in a timely manner."

"That's it? That's all it took? I've been trying to get him to upgrade the computers for _years_; he always just accused me of trying to play computer games at work."

"Were you?"

David was silent for a moment before he quietly said, "…That's besides the point." In a louder, more confident voice he added, "I could get my work done in _half_ the time if it didn't take fifteen minutes to open up Internet Explorer every time I need to e-mail an order. So what did you have in mind? I really like those cool Alienware machines they have on _The Big Bang Theory_."

Kurt rolled his eyes. He himself had a _very_ limited knowledge when it came to computers, but David was infinitely worse. "We are not looking for 'cool' or for 'fun.' We are looking for _functionality_…and preferably something idiot-proof. Considering neither you nor Paul know _anything_ about computers beyond basic word processing, e-mails and solitaire I think we need to go with something intuitive that you can't screw up. And seeing as our budget is somewhat unlimited, I think the simplest thing for us to do would be to go to the Apple store."

David scrunched up his nose in distaste as he tried to keep pace with Kurt in the mall. Kurt didn't even _need_ to look at the directory once they arrived there, something David found mindboggling given the sheer size of the place. "Aren't Macs for fanboys?"

Kurt sighed. "I am _not_ starting a Mac versus PC fight with you. You have to go _well_ out of your way to mess up a Mac and everything made by Mac plays very nicely with everything _else_ made by Mac, whereas with PCs, there are so many companies out there making PC components you can never be sure when you're going to have compatibility issues. Plus, Mac has _really_ great customer service. I'm thinking two MacBooks, which would make it easier for you two to do work at home, a time capsule to keep everything backed up, a professional version of Adobe Acrobat and the best scanner we can get our paws on."

Kurt looked driven; he was a man on a mission. David was almost _afraid_ to say anything contrary.

An hour later, Kurt and David had a stack of shiny white boxes and their own personal escort to help them bring the stack back to Paul's lovely, black Lincoln Town Car. Kurt could get used to life like this.

**xoxoxo**

**Everyone in this chapter you damn well better know by now...**


	38. Gifts of the Gods

Kurt had his hands clasped behind his back as he approached David. Despite the chilly, late autumn air, David was wearing a sleeveless shirt. It showed off his biceps very nicely, in Kurt's opinion. His nature-god boyfriend was covered in dirt, tree sap and pine needles, giving him a nice, forest-y smell. "Hey, handsome." It was the first weekend in December and, as per Hummel family tradition, they were picking out their Christmas tree. Unlike previous years where Kurt had been dragged to local Home Depots or Lowes in order to get a tree, Kurt had talked Burt and Carol into getting a tree at _Eternal Spring._

David turned around and looked his own boyfriend over. Kurt was practically buried in a thick, wrap-around sweater and the tips of his ears and nose were bright pink. "Aw. You look cold."

"I'm just a bit nippy."

"Here, let me warm you up." David dipped his head down and pressed his lips to Kurt's. Kurt's lips parted, inviting David's tongue to take a taste. The tips of their tongues gently prodded at each other's for a moment before they pulled away. "So, are you here alone?"

"Nope. Carol's here, too. She's a bit more accepting of us than my dad. She trusts me to be a mature adult and make my own decisions. She's off in the back looking at trees right now."

David looked in the general direction Carol could be expected to be in. "I never understood Christmas trees all that much."

Kurt quirked an eyebrow. "What's to understand? Buy a tree, decorate it, throw presents under it and pretend to celebrate the birth of Christ. Not that I believe any of that crap, but who am I to argue against a chance to do some seasonal interior decorating?"

David shrugged. "I just want to know how it got started. Who, once upon a time, thought to themselves 'you know, let's celebrate Jesus's birthday by doing something the Bible explicitly forbids us from doing?'"

Kurt furrowed his brow and gave David a look of confusion. "The Bible does _not_ forbid Christmas trees; you're making that up."

"'Thus saith the Lord, learn not the way of the heathen. For the customs of the heathen are vain: for one cutteth a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the axe. They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and hammers, that it move not' Jeremiah 10:2-4. Sure sounds like it forbids Christmas trees to me."

Kurt thought about that before giggling to himself. "Good thing I'm not Christian then. What do the Greek gods have to say about Christmas trees?"

"Meh. Go tree crazy for all we care. I'm pretty sure we _are_ the heathens the Bible was talking about. And honestly, no matter what you're into, there are so many of us that you're bound to find at least one that approves and one that disapproves. Just look at me and you; even the gods of love can't agree whether we're perfect together or a crime against nature."

"Well nature can go right ahead and arrest me if it wants to, because I sure as hell have no intention of changing." Kurt leaned up on his toes to kiss David again, shoving his tongue right into David's mouth as he ran his hands up and under David's shirt, sighing happily at the warmth he found there.

xoxoxo

Demetria looked up from the small spruce she was pruning. She 'har-umphed' when she spotted David and Kurt exchanging saliva. She looked Kurt over; it wasn't the first time she'd seen the boy around, but it _was_ the first time she'd been aware of her grandson's interest in him and, as such, examined him a bit more closely. Nudging Sophie, she spoke, "Wasn't one of your primary concerns about David's sexuality that you wouldn't have a daughter-in-law?"

Sophie nodded. "It was _one_ of my distresses."

Demetria pointed a pair of pruning shears towards Kurt. "Looks like it isn't as _much_ of an issue as you thought."

"I can _hear_ you, Nana!" David shot his grandmother a reproachful look. Demetria just smiled innocently and waved.

"What did she say?"

David sighed. "She implied you're a girl." Kurt tried not to be too offended by that; as much as it hurt, he was used to such insults.

Demetria walked around the plant display and approached Kurt, looking him over appraisingly as she did so. "So you are the infamous Kurt Hummel? The one tearing my family apart? Let me get a good look at you." Demetria placed her hand under his chin, forcing him to look up slightly. She was a hair taller than him, and very sturdily built. She had much the same build as Paul. _Made sense_, Kurt thought to himself. _They __**were**__ brother and sister_. He had to fight back a shudder when he realized that. Demetria looked deep into his eyes; Kurt felt like she was trying to hypnotize him. "You have some interesting patrons."

"What?"

David spoke up and clarified, "Every mortal…and _god_ actually…is favored by different gods in different ways and they get 'gifts' and 'talents' as a result…or curses if they don't like you."

"Yes, and you seem to have found favor in some pleasant places. The Graces and Muses, rather predictably." Kurt smiled. He knew who they were and was rather pleased they liked him. "Athena…though I don't suggest you sign up for military service any time soon. Hephaestus, rather interestingly. You're very mechanically inclined, aren't you?" Kurt nodded. "Apollo…in _several_ areas. Paul has gifted you when it comes to anything relating to precious jewels and money." Kurt could have predicted that; he had taught his father to balance his checkbooks when he was eleven and then Paul had hinted as much when giving him his job. Demetria paused and pulled back, shocked by one of the gifts she saw in Kurt. She had never seen such a gift before…never thought she _would_ see it.

"Nana? What is it?"

"Nothing." Demetria looked again to see if what she saw was _really_ what she saw. It was understandable that her son-in-law would gift his son's boyfriend in _some_ ways, but this? This was almost unspeakable. She shook herself out of her astonishment, "Nothing. I'm just surprised to see that Sophie has gifted you. You have a rather impressive green-thumb."

Kurt smiled, "Well, I _do_ love planting and gardening. It's one of the few times I don't mind getting dirty." Sophie, who was pretending not to listen, looked up briefly before feigning indifference and going back to work.

xoxoxo

"_Hades!"_ Paul grit his teeth and did his best to ignore Demetria. Paul was seated at the kitchen table, a freshly made Reuben sandwich in hand. "I met David's little sweetheart at the nursery today."

"And?"

"I like him…quite a bit. I think Sophie would adore him as well if she gave him half a chance." Paul _mm-hmm-_ed at her. He agreed with her and had asked Sophie to give Kurt a chance on multiple occasions. But Sophie would forever be a stubborn little child. Paul blamed himself…and _Demetria_. They had both spoiled her rotten in an attempt to win her favor from the other. She wasn't used to anything not going _exactly_ as she wanted. "I looked over his gifts. I was curious to see which gods favored him. Gifts from Aphrodite or one of our brothers would have potentially _turned_ my opinion of him, of course. But he seems to have found pleasing and appropriate patrons. However, while I was looking, I happened to see a _very_ interesting gift there."

_That_ drew Paul's attention and he wheeled around to face her. "Demetria, you _cannot_ tell him or David."

"No kidding! I can't tell _anyone_ about this. Do you have any idea how upset the gods would be if they found out?"

"But Orpheus-"

"-was _beloved_ by all the gods. He should have _been_ a god. There is _little_ the gods wouldn't have done for him if he asked. Kurt means nothing to the gods. Kurt _is_ nothing. Kurt is-" Paul put his hand up to silence Demetria as the front door opened. They both quieted down and listened.

"I am _so_ glad you talked her into the balsam fir. She got a Norwegian fir _last_ year that I'm _still_ cleaning up needles from. And the balsam just smells _so_ much nicer than the spruces." It was Kurt; David had brought him home with him.

"Yeah, the balsams always have a _really _nice smell to them. In my opinion, they usually have a more pine-y smell than the pines." David entered into the kitchen, Kurt following behind by a few steps. He looked a bit surprised to see Demetria there. "Oh, hi Nana. I didn't know you were coming over tonight."

"Why shouldn't I come over?" David looked between his father and his grandmother; it was strange to see them together, especially without his mom around to mediate any fights they might get into. "I was just telling you father about how _cute_ I thought you and your boyfriend are together. Isn't that right, Paul?" Demetria placed her hands on Paul's shoulders and gave them a tight squeeze. To someone who didn't know their history together, it would look like a friendly gesture; to David it looked like a threat of some kind.

"Yes. She also told me she looked at your gifts, Kurt. I'm sure none of them surprised you, though?"

Kurt obviously didn't see anything suspicious between the god of the Underworld and the goddess of the harvest. "I was a _little_ surprised to see that Apollo likes me; I never figured myself for being much when it comes to medicine or the sciences."

"Apollo is so much _more_ than that. He's also the god of music and poetry. David is rather gifted in music as well, but not through Apollo. Apollo gifted him in other areas, like math." Dave could tell that his grandmother was nervous about something; she was practically babbling, trying to draw his and Kurt's attention away from whatever she and Paul had been talking about.

"Ok, what's going on? You two _hate_ each other."

Paul and Demetria looked at each other. "You're right, David. There is something inherently wrong in the world when Demi and I agreed on something, but both _disagree_ with your mother. We were talking about you and Kurt. Why don't the two of you go upstairs and watch a movie or something? Your grandmother and I are trying to figure out what to do about your mother." It disturbed Demetria how easily Paul could lie on the spot, to his son, like that.

"Kurt and I were actually going to make ourselves something to eat. It's almost dinnertime."

Paul stood up from the table, taking his sandwich with him. "In that case, Demeter and I will retire to the upstairs and leave you two here. Come Dem."

Paul left the kitchen and headed to his office. Demetria remained behind for a minute looking at the two boys before following him. As she passed by, she stroked Kurt's cheek affectionately and smiled at him. It looked like a sad smile, to David. "Things must be _really_ bad if they're working together to try and get my mom to understand."

"She's your mom; you're her son. She should love you no matter what. Have you and your mom even _talked_ since you came out?" Kurt took David's hand in both of his and cocked his head to the side so he could look into David's downcast eyes.

"Not really. Nothing beyond 'hey' or 'can you get your goat out of my winter squash?'"

Kurt placed one of his hands on David's cheek and brushed away a stray tear with the pad of his thumb. "She'll come around, eventually. She's your _mom_."

David snorted disbelievingly. "You don't know gods. My dad and nana have kept their feud going for thousands of years and, if it weren't for me, they'd probably keep it up another couple thousand years."

"Well, at least you have all of eternity, right?" It was the lamest thing Kurt _could_ have said, but the way David seemed to fight back a smile showed him that his poor excuse for a joke kind of worked.


	39. Awkwardness

Kurt and David had their chairs wedged together at glee; if they were any closer, one would be in the other's lap. David had his hand firmly wedged in Kurt's, doodling little circles on the back of Kurt's hand with his thumb. Mr. Schuester came in, looking disgustingly perky, as always. "All right guys, we have sectionals coming up and we're against some really good schools. We need to bring our A-game if we want to go all the way this year. Therefore, this week's challenge is…" Mr. Schuester turned his back to the students and began scribbling lopsidedly on the whiteboard. "Challenges!"

The students began murmuring excitedly with one another; there were so many good songs to pick from. Before he had a chance to fully lose their attention, he clapped his hands together to redirect them, "Now, I know you all _think_ you know what I expect of you, but there's a catch: you won't be singing _about_ challenges; that's too easy. No, instead…" Mr. Schuester pulled a hat out from behind the piano and the students began groaning. They'd seen the hat of fate too many times before. "…you will each select a fellow singer from the hat and select a song for them that _you_ think will challenge them: as a singer, as a dancer, a performer, whatever. The point of this lesson is to help you _grow_. So, how about we get Mercedes up here first?"

One by one, the students picked out the person they'd be selecting a song for. Kurt frowned when he got his turn to pick. It wasn't that he was _upset_ at having to select a song for his best friend, Mercedes; it was just he had hoped to get David. David would be far easier to select a song for…and more entertaining. David was kind of relieved to see he got Finn. He'd known Finn long enough and had seen him snag enough solos to see exactly what his strengths and weaknesses were. Puck wound up with Kurt's name, while Quinn got David's.

xoxoxo

"Quinn! Quinnquinnquinnquinn _Quinn_!" Quinn turned around as she walked towards the parking lot, having heard Kurt squeak out her name rapid fire while trying to catch up with her.

"What do you want_,_ Kurt?" She stopped to let him catch up to her.

"You got David's name. Please pleasepleaseplease _please_ let me pick his song for you." Kurt finally caught up and nearly tripped over his own feet at the last minute; he looked good in a small heel, he just couldn't _run_ in them.

"Why? So you can sing a duet with him? The last thing any of us want to see is Donkey Kong serenading you, Kurt. That would be _painful_ to watch."

"Yes, well I have something for him to sing that would be _far_ more painful for him to perform. But it might help him get some confidence in his performances."

Quinn slipped her purse up onto her shoulder as she folded one arm over her chest. "Well _anything_ that could help him be less of a _statue_ on stage. Was he high or something the first time he performed for us? That first performance was so different. He's barely even the same person."

"David doesn't _do_ drugs; he was just on an adrenaline rush from everything going on at the moment." Not a complete lie, but even he could feel his eyes darting a bit more than was strictly normal. "Please can I pick his song for you? I promise it's a _good_ one."

Quinn rolled her eyes and sucked in the corner of her lips. "I _suppose_. But it _depends_ on what it is."

"Trust me, it's perfect for shoving him out of his comfort zone. It's-"

xoxoxo

Kurt and David walked into _Olivine_ together. They had followed each other from school and parked side by side in the lot. David had a suit bag hanging up over his passenger side window with his outfit to change into. Kurt was just going to wear what he wore to school; it was good enough. "…so that's what I'm thinking about for Finn."

Kurt smiled at David's idea. "First off: excellent suggestion. Second: I'm _very_ surprised you know that song."

David reached the front door first and held it open for Kurt. "Yeah, I heard it once or twice and I remember when I _did_ hear it, it kind of reminded me of Finn. It would be friggin' hilarious to see him actually try to do it. _Especially_ if he tries dancing to it."

Kurt shrugged. "He'll probably cheat and get Mike to help him out. Finn's dancing surprisingly looks _better_ when he's dancing with Mike. You'd think in comparison he'd look worse, but I suppose it's because you become so distracted by how amazing Mike is that you don't even notice Finn."

"Yeah, if we could somehow _mush_ Finn's singing with Mike's dancing we'd never lose a competition again." David demonstrated 'mushing' by forcefully pressing his palms together.

After greeting each of the nymphs and Paul, Kurt followed David into the back room. Before David could retreat into the office bathroom to change, Kurt grabbed him by one of the belt loops on his pants and pulled him into a kiss. Slipping his hand under the front of David's shirt to play with his happy trail, Kurt pecked David a few more time on the underside of his jaw. "It'll be so cute to watch Finn get flustered when you tell him his song selection tomorrow."

"I can't begin to imagine what kind of song _Quinn_ will give me. She probably thinks 'Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star' is a challenge for me the way I've been singing lately." Kurt tried to keep his knowing smile to himself as David retired into the bathroom.

xoxoxo

He felt dirty and disgusting. He wondered whether or not Kurt would count this as infidelity. It should be all right though; he was doing it for "research" purposes.

But if that was the case, why was his hand down his pants?

He was pretty damn certain both he and Kurt wanted to do more: go further in their relationship. Kurt was getting very "handsy" lately and David was all too happy to accommodate him. But neither of them had any discernible experience with anything more than kissing and heavy petting. Hell, they hadn't even seen each other topless, yet. That's why David was sitting in his bedroom, with the lights turned low, Homer kicked-out, and his computer as quiet as he could get it without putting it on mute, as he watched two positively _delicious_ little twinks going at it.

The "larger" of the two twinks (who was barely any bigger than Kurt) was moaning desperately as the smaller one finger-fucked him; stretching him nice and open for the camera. It was so sick and _wrong_. How the hell could anyone _willingly_ display themselves like that, online, for the world to see? But thank the gods that they did, because it was one of the hottest freaking things David had ever seen. And from a logical standpoint he was extremely grateful that he had thought to take a "sneak peek" at what he could expect from a sexual relationship with a guy; left to his own devises, he would have simply rolled a condom on and plunged right in.

But this, the fingering and the stretching? He hadn't thought of it. But it sure as hell looked like a lot of fun. A bit gross and most likely _very_ unsanitary, but then wasn't just about everything to do with sex?

David fondled himself roughly inside his jeans, not really exercising any "technique" but instead alternating between squeezing, and rubbing, and jerking, even a bit of pinching. He bit the back of his free hand to keep himself quiet.

The larger twink in the video, the pretty one with nice lips and shaggy brown hair, was on his back now, his elbows wrapped around the backs of his knees to help keep his ass up in the air. The other twink poured what looked like baby oil over the first twinks ass, making sure to squirt some directly in his pink, punkered hole, and then used a few fingers to push the oil in deep. _So hot. So beautiful. _He wondered how Kurt would handle this, whether or not Kurt would allow David to touch him like this. Kurt was so prim and proper and perfect; Dave couldn't picture Kurt in the throws of a lust filled haze, letting his boyfriend shove fingers up his butt.

Or would Kurt expect David to be the one getting fucked? Kurt was so domineering; would he be willing to give up control to someone else?

Sex had to be one of _the most_ natural things in the world…so why the hell were there so many things to think about?

"David, I have-" David ripped his hand out of his pants and slammed his laptop closed at the sound of his mother's voice. "Oh, for the love of god, David. No one wants to see that."

"Get the _hell_ out of my room, mom!" David was, for once, very grateful it usually took him a while to "get off." It would have been infinitely worse if his hand were covered in sticky, white cum.

"I'm giving you your clean laundry…looks like you might need it."

"_MOM!"_

"Why are you watching that garbage anyway? Don't you _have_ a boyfriend?"

David got out of his desk chair and went over to his en-suite bathroom, making certain to slam the door as loudly as he could. "Yes, I have a boyfriend. I'm just… _researching_." The lie had sounded better when he told it to himself. Truth was, having a boyfriend was just making him horny. David quickly washed his shame away in the sink, scrubbing his hands clean.

"Researching what?"

Toweling off his hands, David returned to his bedroom. His mother was laying out his clothes on his bed. She wouldn't fold them or anything; she just sorted them by what they were. "How to…_you_ _know_."

"Have sex?"

"Oh god, Mom, could you please not say it like that?"

"How do you _want_ me to say it? 'Make love?' 'Do the dirty?' 'Do the wild monkey dance'?" David belly flopped onto his bed, ignoring the piles of clean clothes already laid out. Burying his head into his sheets, David groaned. "Don't tell me the two of you haven't done anything, yet."

"We've only been dating a few weeks."

"So you've never…not even before Kurt?" David shook his head. "Has Kurt ever?" David shook his head again. He could feel the bed shift as his mom sat down next to him. "_'Research'_, huh?" He could almost _feel_ his mother making the air-quotes around 'research;' if her tone was any indication, she was _all too_ amused by what was going on. A moment of quiet passed and then he felt his mother pat him on the butt. "There _was_ no internet when your father and I married. Any and all research had to be done by _talking_ to people who had already been there, done that."

"We are _not_ having this conversation. It's already the most awkward conversation I've _ever_ had with _anybody_."

"I didn't have my mother to talk to, you know. I was thirteen. I barely even _knew_ any men when I met your father. And it didn't help that your father was, at the time, history's oldest virgin."

"Nope, I was wrong. _This_ is the most awkward conversation ever."

Sophie swatted David's butt. "Stop being a smart-ass and listen; this is important. I went into my marriage not knowing _anything_ about sex. Not having anyone to talk to; not having my mother to talk to or comfort me. I resented your father for a long time because of that. My _mother,_ too."

"Why Nana? She had nothing to do with Dad kidnapping you."

"Your grandmother would have done anything, given anything, to keep me young and ignorant about sex the rest of my life. My only companions were avowed virgins: Athena, Artemis and pure nymphs and woodland spirits. My mother kept me completely innocent when it came to anything having to do with men. Most girls, over the course of history, at least knew what _kissing_ was. Everything I learned about anything having to do with sexual relationships, I learned on-the-fly with your dad. It was scary and _awkward_…and even a bit traumatic. Thankfully, your father has always been a naturally gentle, patient man. Other gods wanted me for themselves; Hephaestus, Ares, Apollo…I doubt _any_ of them would have been as gentle with me as your father was."

David sat up and scooched closer to his mother. As awkward as the subject matter was, it was the closest he and his mother had been in weeks. "Why are you telling me this?"

Sophie was quiet for a good long while. David was almost ready to repeat his question when she sighed. "The idea of _any_ man defiling me repulsed my mother beyond all reason. She couldn't bare the idea of me being in _any_ kind of relationship. If she hadn't fought _so_ hard to keep me _just the way_ **she** wanted, Hades could have courted me properly. I would have had my mother to talk me through being a new bride. I wouldn't have had to be _alone_."

She was quiet again for another long while, fidgeting with the laundry beside her on the bed. David placed his hand over hers, sensing the pain this conversation was bringing her. He was angry with her for how quickly she turned on him when he told her he was gay, true; but this was his _mother_. He couldn't _not_ feel her pain when something was hurting her. "I'm doing the same thing to you my mother did to me. My mother wanted to forbid me from ever being with any man: same as I wanted to do to you. My relationship with your nana was strained for _so long_ because of my love for Paul. I don't want _us_ to be like that, David. I _want_ you to be able to come to me, to _talk_ to me when you need your mom. No matter _how_ it makes me feel. I just don't want to _lose_ you."

David crawled across the laundry piles and into his mother's lap; wrapping his arms around her, he buried his head in the crook of his neck. "You aren't going to lose me. I may be growing up, or whatever, but I'm _always_ going to need my mommy."


	40. By Any Other Name

**Shade = ghost/spirit**

**Unfortunately, the next update might take a while. I chopped off part of my thumb on my dominant hand making typing painful and painfully slow. Thankfully, I already had this one typed out.  
><strong>

xoxoxo

Paul was sitting up in bed, playing with the laptop Kurt had picked out. It was nice that he could work from bed if he felt like it. He'd have to think about possibly digitizing the Underworld a little bit to make his work easier down there, as well. When Sophie came in and began changing, he only paid her a cursory glance. Things had been…_strained_ between them for a few weeks. Yes, he had been disappointed to find out David was gay: he still was, if he were to be completely honest with himself. But even if it ate him up a little on the inside, knowing that David was condemning himself to years of hardship all because of whom he loved, he could still put on a smile and _be there_ for his son. Why couldn't Sophie? Why was this so hard for her?

When she was finished changing, she silently crawled into bed beside Paul, snuggling herself under the covers. A quick look showed Paul that her face was red and blotchy. "Have you been crying?" She snuffled in response. Paul felt his heart ache. Even if he was angry with her, he couldn't just give her the cold shoulder. "Sweety?" Sophie didn't respond, other than to shrink down into the blankets further. "Princess, what's wrong?" A few little squeaks emitted from his wife, who had her head buried into the mattress, reminding Paul of one of the Muppets – Beaker, he thought the name might be. "Could you repeat that, honey?"

"Aumdernintomymudder." Paul just stared at her blankly until she repeated herself more coherently. "I'm turning into my MOTHER!" Her voice broke on the final word, spitting it out like a curse. True, Sophie loved her mother, but she wasn't so blinded by love as to overlook her mother's controlling and manipulative personality.

Paul bit back the urge to remark that that would make _him_ cry as well. Instead, he opted for the sympathetic route. "Aw, lovey, what makes you say that?" Putting his laptop aside, Paul curled onto his side, facing his wife; he brushed the matted hair away from her face, stroking her gently.

Through tear-streaked, blood-shot eyes, she peaked up at him. "Kurt's _you_."

Paul had to shake himself a bit to force that thought through his skull. "Come again?"

"Kurt…Is…You. I'm my mom; David's me. I'm losing my baby to someone who's trying to steal him away from me. I hate Kurt and I want to _destroy_ him for kidnapping my Davey." Sophie's jaw was set so strongly, Paul could see little twinges of muscles spasm in her cheeks.

"Ok, Sophie, calm down. No killing _anyone_…at least not until David gets bored with him."

Sophie cocked her head to the side. "What do you mean 'gets bored with him'? I didn't get bored with _you_. Kurt's you; David's me. Please keep up." Sophie's demeanor seemed to completely change with that one statement. She said it as simply and plainly as though she were explaining the plot of one of her romance novels she coveted so desperately.

"Honey…Kurt's a _mortal_. You really think things are going to work out between them?" Sophie shrugged. "Our kind isn't exactly known for 'happily ever after'."

"David likes him a lot." She paused a moment, collecting her thoughts. "And David's _really_ stubborn. He'd probably spend the rest of his life with Kurt _just_ because you say it won't last, even if he did 'get bored of him'. Besides, it hurts David's feelings when you say things like that about him and Kurt. He's a teenager; _everything_ lasts forever. And if he wants it to, he'll make it." _And it_ **doesn't** _hurt David's feelings that you stabbed him in the back?_ Paul thought to himself…he didn't say it out loud, of course.

"But how exactly would that work? Kurt has an approximate life expectancy of what? 75-ish? And believe me when I tell you he is _very_ lucky to have that. How could a god, with a potentially limitless lifespan, be expected to settle for a love that will flicker and extinguish like a lit candle?"

Sophie narrowed her eyes for a moment, but didn't press Paul to elaborate on what he had said about Kurt being "lucky." "David's a _god_. Kurt could spend his afterlife as a shade in David's palace. Or Kurt could choose to be reborn as a nymph. From what I've seen he'd make a lovely nymph."

"Correct me if I'm wrong…but it sounds like you _like_ Kurt now."

"I _told_ you, Paul, I'm turning into my mother. I don't want that." She ignored Paul's mumbled 'no one does.' "If Kurt makes David happy…I just want my baby boy to be happy…I don't want to reenact the endless wars that's went on between you, me and my mother with me, David and Kurt. No one wins, that way."

"So you and David have made peace?"

Sophie nodded, easing herself forward on the bed until her face was snuggled against Paul's chest. "We cried together for a while. We both feel better now."

"Ok, then. But if you're going to accept David being gay, you have to accept _everything_ that entails." Paul could hear and feel his wife say "hmmm?" against him. "You have to accept that even if he _is_ gay, he isn't suddenly a new person. David isn't what you'd consider a "stereotypical" gay…you aren't getting a new shopping and spa partner out of this."

Very quietly, Paul could hear a murmured "maybe Kurt" from Sophie.

"And more importantly than that, you need to accept the fact that, gay or not, David doesn't _want_ children. We will never have grandchildren on purpose or by accident. So, don't you harangue him about that. Understand?" Sophie didn't respond. "I _said_ 'do you understand?'"

"_Wah._" Her voice was sarcastic and whiny, but at least he knew from her tone that it meant she would listen to him about it.

Paul held his wife tightly and cuddled her as they drifted off to sleep together.

xoxoxo

"I can't believe that rat-bastard's skipping work."

Paul snorted his amusement at Kurt. Paul was on his computer in the backroom taking care of David's usual duties while Kurt continued scanning the seemingly endless pile of paperwork. Every time Kurt came close to finishing, Paul remembered some secret, long-forgotten location where he had some 'vital' documents stashed for safekeeping. "He's stressed about his performances on Friday. The two of you have your competition-thingy and then he also has to perform his own thingy, doesn't he?"

"Yes, David has a lot of "thingies" to memorize and become comfortable with by Friday." Kurt smiled to himself; Paul was incredibly intelligent, but even he had trouble 'grabbing' the right words, sometimes. "He's probably also a bit tired out from talking to his mom all last night as well. I'm glad things are better between them."

"You and me both."

"It must have been very awkward for them both, though. I would be absolutely _mortified_ if that happened to me. David could barely even talk about it." Paul cocked his head to the side in obvious confusion. "David said they talked after Sophie had walked in on him while he was…" The look of confusion continued on Paul's face even as Kurt's sentence died off unfinished. "You didn't know that part did you?"

After a few more moments of perplexity, Paul's face softened and his eyes went wide as he realized what Kurt had to be referring to. "No and I didn't _need_ to."

Kurt snickered, placing his fingers over his mouth daintily. "Sorry…I guess some personal things shouldn't be mentioned even if people _are_ aware of them." Paul simply nodded as he turned back to the dim glow of his computer. Well, _David's_ computer, technically. David had all the files and forms on his computer for handling orders, while Kurt was currently working on Paul's computer. Once everything was done, he planned on figuring out some way to sync, or network the two so they all had access to the same documents and information. "Speaking of personal: can I ask you a question Paul? It might offend you."

"Kurt, there is a statue of me and my wife in Italy right now called 'The Rape of Proserpina'…it takes a great deal to offend me."

Kurt blanched at the name of the statue…that was a bit… _crude_. "I was reading about the gods on Wikipedia"

"A most reliable source I've been told…"

"Hey! I'm also reading _The Odyssey_ and _The Iliad_. You can't expect me to read _every_ 'original' account of the gods." Paul nodded thoughtfully "Anyway…Wikipedia said you had three children. But Adonis said that David was the only child you and Sophie had ever had…what about the others?"

"Depends on whom you mean. The Greeks, as reliable as they were," The amusement in Paul's voice contradicted the statement, "occasionally _did_ make mistakes. And look at us," Paul gestured to himself, a synecdoche for the gods, "If we are fallible, humans are a hundred times more-so. Who did Wikipedia claim were my children?"

Kurt pulled out his phone; he had each of the pages uploaded in Safari already. "Ummm…Macaria?"

"Ah, yes. She _is_ mine."

"Wikipedia said her mother was unknown…did you have an affair?"

Paul shook his head. "Are you familiar with 'parthenogesis'?" Kurt shook his head, thinking it was some Grecian play he hadn't had the chance to read yet. "It rarely occurs among mammals, almost never naturally and not ever with males, that I've heard of. It's asexual reproduction."

"You had a child with _yourself_?"

"You're thinking too literally. You need to stop thinking like a mortal, teenage boy and start thinking like a… _god_ or theologian. I didn't _get pregnant_ and give _birth_. It's almost more like…I don't know… _cloning_. But cloning that results in a wholly unique and original creation."

"Does David know her?"

"Gods, I hope he never does." Kurt looked confused. "She is a painless death: the sudden contentment and bliss and _resignation_ some people feel as they die. A sense that their life was the best life that they could have lived and that death is not something to be afraid of. She is a peaceful and welcoming death."

"But why wouldn't you want David to meet his sister?"

"She isn't a _person _Kurt. She's a feeling. She isn't a literal being. Not in the way you've been taught to think of them. The only way David could know her is to experience her…to _die_."

Kurt wasn't certain he understood, but nodded so Paul wouldn't feel compelled to continue and confuse him further. He looked back down at his phone, "What about Melinoe? It says she's either yours and Persephone's or _Zeus's_ and Persephone's, but that's not right. Zeus is Sophie's dad, right?"

"You are correct. However, Zeus _is_ Melinoe's father." Kurt's face fell. He looked sick. "Sophie is not the mother, however." Kurt looked instantly relieved. "Zeus came to my realm with the intent of raping Sophie while I was otherwise occupied: revenge for some paltry misdemeanor Demetria had committed. But he mistook one of Sophie's handmaids…a nymph, for Sophie. Melinoe's parents are Zeus and the nymph."

"I don't know what's worse…that Zeus would willingly _set out_ to _**rape **_his own daughter, or that he wouldn't even recognize his own daughter….although, I'm _strongly_ leaning towards the former."

Paul shrugged "You'll come to find that my family can be _despicable_ Kurt."

"I'm figuring it out pretty damn quick." All too happy to change to the next subject, Kurt looked down at his phone. "What about Zagreus?" Paul quirked his lips at the corner and tapped the side of his nose conspiratorially…as though he and Kurt were in on some big secret. "So, David _does_ have a brother?" His whisper came out louder and more hoarse than he intended. "Wikipedia says his mother was Persephone. So you two _do_ have another child!"

"Sophie and I have only _one_ child." Paul smiled wistfully to himself and turned away from Kurt, returning his attention to his work.

"I don't understand."

"You must be aware, Kurt, that once upon a time, there _were_ humans who could foresee the future."

Kurt thought about that for a moment. Of course he had heard about oracles in Greek mythology, but what did Paul… _Oh_. "David _is_ Zagreus?" Paul turned to face Kurt again, wagging his eyebrows. Kurt pulled his phone back out and re-read the article of Zagreus. "But it says Zagreus was 'above all other gods'…what's that mean?

Paul shrugged. "Like I said, humans are fallible; they made many a mistake when it came to my family. Although, Zagreus _is_ the name Sophie and I agreed upon for David. 'David' is merely what's on his birth certificate – a pet name of sorts, if you will. It could possibly mean that _morally_ he was superior to the gods, then again, it could also be complete bull. They said a lot of made-up stuff about Zagreus, they didn't know much of anything about him since he hadn't even been born yet, so they filled in the blanks. Much of it fails to exist in print any longer, confusing the issue even further. That article no doubt also contains a story that sounds eerily similar to Dionysus's?"

Kurt nodded. "It even says he was "identified with Dionysus."

Paul shook his head. "Some of the old ones…I'm surprised they could tell their heads from their asses. But, then again, how often did they confuse me for my brother, Zeus?"

Kurt nodded again. "The article mentions you were sometimes called the 'Underworld Zeus', which makes things confusing for scholars."

"No kidding?" Paul held his hand out for the phone; Kurt passed it off to him. Paul read over the article, fairly swiftly considering he kept squinting to see it. "Haha…I like this quote: 'why was this great mythical hunter, who in Greece became a mysterious god of the underworld, a capturer of wild animals and not a killer?' Once again, an example of mortals thinking too literally. David 'captures wild animals' as in the process of domestication. Pretty interesting thing, that 'Wikipedia'…perhaps I should try Googling myself, someday. I hear all the kids are doing it."

Kurt smiled and blushed; the way Paul said it, it sounded naughty. And from the smile Paul gave him, Kurt had no doubt he had intended to make Kurt blush, to get him back for making Paul feel awkward earlier. "Next question-"

"Oh, please let this not be about Aphrodite's parentage. Even my own family can't get that one straightened out…It's like the Jerry Springer Show, sometimes."

"No…nothing to do with gods, really. I've been handling all of your paperwork, everything that gets mailed here, and it's amusing how many people keep butchering your name. I'll admit, when I added David to my cell phone, he had to correct it. I spelled it K-A-R-O-V-S-K-Y. Why, may I ask, did you pick such a pain-in-the-ass name when you could have been Paul Johnson, or Paul Brown, or Paul Smith?"

Paul didn't turn back around to answer Kurt, but Kurt could see his shoulders hitching up and down as Paul chuckled to himself. "In Russia, no one thought _Karofsky_ was such a strange name."

"So you really did live in Russia? I thought it was just part of your cover-story."

"I built my palace in Russia around 1913; it's still there, Sophie and I just choose to live in Ohio, so David could have a relatively bland, normal upbringing."

"But why Russia? What's so special about Russia?"

"Well…I initially moved my palace there because of Fabergé. I found it fascinating; taking something so beautiful and ornate like my jewels and making them look like something as common and ordinary as eggs. Then there was the added benefit that the Russian aristocracy had a taste for extreme finery. Then of course the Great War broke out. It was convenient for me and my palace to remain in Russia; the Russians suffered the heaviest losses: around three and a half million people. Then the post-Tsarist issues: the revolution, the anti-revolution, the uprisings, famine, mass-murder: millions more died. Then the purges, which left _even more_ millions dead. Then World War Two…once again, Soviets suffered _huge_ casualties…plus I was _relatively_ close to many of the concentration and extermination camps of the Third Reich. And after that, I, like most people, was convinced the Cold War would erupt into something the likes of which the world had never seen. Thankfully, I was wrong on that part. Only during the 80s did I feel at all comfortable abandoning that base of operations, but then David was born and I had no desire – or time, energy, and motivation – to move my palace someplace more convenient."

Kurt listened intently; it was the most interesting condensed history he had ever heard. He felt like there were millions of intelligent or interesting comments he could make on such a speech. Instead, the only thing that came out of his mouth was "It's hard being a god, isn't it?"

Paul just smiled and nodded.


	41. Fantasia

**The author's note is kind of graphic, so read at your own peril.**

**Some of you asked, so here's what happened: I was making dried apple chips and using my mandolin to make the slices even. A piece of apple got stuck on the blade. Rather than using something that _isn't_ made of flesh, bone and nerve endings to dislodge it, I used my fingers. Next thing I know, I'm missing part of my thumb. It took two days for it to stop bleeding, but it's pretty damned cool looking. My father and I used Neosporin to "glue" the amputated part back on to my thumb and it _looks_ like the skin might heal and fuse back together, so, all-in-all, I have a lovely reminder to not do stupid shit while cooking (it goes lovely with my second degree burn scars from the first time I sautéed fish). **

xoxoxo

"Before Mr. Schue gets here, I have an announcement to make." Kurt stood before the glee club, hands on his hips in a laid-back power stance. He was dressed rather 'normally' by Kurt standards. He had on acid washed skinny jeans, a gray button down shirt and a red and white kerchief-style scarf tied about his neck. "I was talking to Blaine yesterday…" David stifled his groan. "…and he had a wonderful idea. The Warblers have their sectionals on Friday and they thought it would be fun if we all met up together to celebrate our mutual wins after our performances."

"That's awfully cocky of them."

Kurt shrugged at his stepbrother. "Do you remember the Haverbrook School for the Deaf? Well, according to Blaine that's the strongest of their competition. Anyway, one of their newer members has a rather large house not too far from Lima and his parents are frequently away, so it'll be perfect. There will be karaoke…" Kurt could tell from her expression that Rachel was instantly sold on the idea, "food and…'_refreshments._' So we can't tell Mr. Schuester."

Most of the glee kids seemed pretty excited about the idea. David forced a fake smile for Kurt's sake. He couldn't be _too_ down about having to hang out with Kurt's ex and a bunch of strangers on Friday; even though his birthday wasn't until the following Wednesday, his birthday _party_ was on Saturday. He'd get to spend almost the whole day with Kurt and a good chunk of Friday (even if he would be surrounded by other people he wouldn't know from a hole in the wall). How could he _not_ be at least partially excited?

"Hey, Kurt. Are you going first?" Mr. Schuester came into the choir room, setting his brief case atop the piano as he looked expectantly at Kurt.

"Umm…yeah. Sure." Puck had selected Kurt's song for him. On Tuesday, most of the glee club had cracked up laughing when Puck told him what he'd be performing. When David had asked about it, Kurt had simply told him it was a glee club inside joke.

The opening strains of John Mellencamp's "Jack and Diane" started up and Kurt jumped in with the lyrics at the appropriate time, but seemed to lack his usual finesse and enthusiasm.

_A little ditty, 'bout Jack & Diane -  
>Two American kids growin' up in the heartland.<br>Jacky gonna be a football star  
>Diane's debutante in back seat of Jacky's car<em>

As Kurt continued to sing, most of the glee kids surreptitiously chuckled or full on cracked up. David schooled his expression and focused instead on the other glee kids. It probably wouldn't go well for him if he openly laughed at his boyfriend. By the time the song finished, even Mr. Schuester was having trouble containing his amusement. "All right, Kurt. I must say that is a _huge_ improvement over 'Pink Houses'" That prompted another round of laughs from the glee club.

Kurt just sniffed indignantly and went back to his seat next to David. "That was great, Kurt. You looked really hot."

Kurt patted David's knee. "Don't lie, honey. It isn't attractive."

David smiled and leaned over, and pecked Kurt on the cheek. "Think what you want, but it's pretty hard for you _not_ to be hot."

Artie had selected Puck's song and Puck eagerly volunteered to go second. Everyone agreed Puck's song was a total cop-out; it was well within his range and style and the lyrics seemed to have been written for him. Even still, the New Directions so desperately wanted to see him perform it that Mr. Schuester had acquiesced to their demands and agreed to let him perform it for his "challenge."

_Stacy, can I come over after scho-o-o-o-ol? _

_We can hang around by the po-o-o-o-ol_

_Did your mom get back from her business trip? _

_Is she there, or is she trying to give me the sli-i-i-i-ip? _

_You know, I'm not the little boy that I used to be_

_I'm all grown up now, baby can't you see_

_Stacy's mom has got it goin' on_

_She's all I want and I've waited for so long_

_Stacy, can't you see you're just not the girl for me_

_I know it might be wrong, but I'm in love with Stacy's mom_

_Stacy's mom has got it goin' on_

_Stacy's mom has got it goin' on_

_Stacy, do you remember when I mowed your lawn? _

_Your mom came out with just a towel o-o-o-o-on _

_I could tell she liked me from the way she stared _

_And the way she said, "You missed a spot over the-e-e-e-re" _

_And I know that you think it's just a fantasy_

_But since your dad walked out, your mom could use a guy like me_

_Stacy's mom has got it goin' on_

_She's all I want, and I've waited so long_

_Stacy, can't you see you're just not the girl for me_

_I know it might be wrong,_

_But I'm in love with Stacy's mom_

_Stacy's mom has got it goin' on_

_She's all I want and I've waited for so long,_

_Stacy can't you see you're just not the girl for me,_

_I know it might be wrong but oh oh_

_I'm in love with _

_I'm in love with Stacy's mom_

xoxoxo

David didn't have work after glee club, so he went home to spend some time with his babies (the pets). Kurt had to stop by the garage first, so David had already gotten comfortable at home by the time Kurt got there. Kurt found him about an hour after school, lying in his backyard. "You have a goat on your chest."

David couldn't really argue with that point. It was turning out to be such a mild winter that he decided to just lie down in the lawn and stare at clouds for a while. One of the goats had taken it upon itself to climb up onto his chest, fold its little legs underneath itself and just chill. "Yes. Yes I do."

"He's littler than the others."

"Yep. He was born way out of season. He's only a few weeks old."

"Uh-huh…so what are you two doing?" Kurt flattened his shirt against his butt before joining David on the ground, sitting cross-legged by his head.

"I have no idea what _he's_ doing." David jutted his chin out to indicate the kid. "I'm just…thinking."

"About?"

"My performance on Friday, sectionals, my birthday party, Global Warming, my birthday next week, the party after sectionals…you know, _stuff_." David placed his palms under his head, using them as a cushion.

"All right…I can understand most of those, but care to explain the Global Warming?"

David shrugged delicately, careful not to dislodge the goat from his chest. "I think it might be my fault."

"Ummm…you're one of the greenest people in Lima. Forgetting for a moment the fact that your vehicle is one of the most inefficient things I've ever seen…your family grows much of its own food; you get eggs, milk, and bread from you grandmother's farm; you walk most places; you buy most of your clothes second hand; your family composts _and_ recycles; you have solar panels…want me to go on?"

"I don't think it has _anything_ to do with greenhouse gases or carbon footprints. I think it's because of my nana and dad. They used to fight a _lot_ and whenever they did, even though neither of them are weather-gods, there would be really horrible, raw, blistery winters. Ever since _I_ was born, they don't fight nearly as much and winters have gotten really mild."

"David…you're insane. Aside from the fact that yours is the stupidest theory I've ever heard, look at a graph of global temperatures someday. Whatever temperature shift may or may not exist, it started _way_ before you were born." Kurt adjusted himself, leaning back on his hands. His movement startled the baby goat who bleated angrily at him before standing, stretching and wobbling off on unsure baby hoofs.

David chuckled. "He says you talk really loudly."

"Tell him to 'bite me.' So…you excited about getting _all_ of your god powers next week?"

David shrugged, again. "It won't all be instant…well, some things will. Just about anything to do with my domain will be instinctual. Some things will just _happen_, like invulnerability. Other things will take time; shape shifting into anything _not_ an animal, teleporting – though that should be pretty easy since I already teleport to the Underworld all the time – turning invisible, turning humans into other things. I don't even know what the full list will be." David rolled onto his side, so that he was facing Kurt, even though he just stared at the brownish-green grass.

"I know what'll distract you and make you feel better." _That_ got David's attention; his eyes went wide and his eyebrows shot up in interest. Kurt could register a great deal of hope and excitement in his eyes. He winced imperceptibly; He hadn't meant to get David's hopes up, but at least now he knew that David was as 'ready' as he was. "Let's go horseback riding. You can focus on keeping me from breaking my neck."

Kurt could just faintly register the disappointment on David's face, but David immediately perked back up, even if it seemed a bit forced. "Awesome. Let's go saddle 'em up." David rolled over onto his stomach and pushed himself up off the ground.

"And if you're nervous about sectionals on Friday, just remember that you could always sway in the background while lip-syncing."

xoxoxo

David stomped his foot petulantly before turning his stereo off less than a minute into the song. "I can't _do_ this. I look like one of the dancing hippos from _Fantasia_." He sunk down to the floor, resting his back against his bedroom door as he moped.

"I disagree." Hedone rolled over on her side so she could stare at David over the edge of his bed where she was currently reclined. "They looked a _lot_ better than you."

David pulled his knees up to his chest and wrapped his arms around them to shield himself from the world. "Gee, thanks. That makes me feel loads better."

"Do you know _why_ the hippos looked better than you?" David grunted a negation at her. "The hippos took _ownership_ of themselves. They couldn't dance, they looked ridiculous, yet they were _enjoying_ themselves and they took pleasure in what they were doing. Honestly, you don't look like the god of domesticated animals and vermin. You look like the god of _awkward_."

"Ugh, are you really gonna bitch at me about confidence, again?"

"Depends; are you going to whine and ignore me, again? The more you ignore my advice, the more I'm going to _cram_ it down your throat." Hedone sat up and swung her legs over the side of the bed, glaring smugly down at him.

"I _hate_ this song and I hate, hate, _hate_ Quinn for giving it to me. The only way she could embarrass me any more is if she gave me a mash-up of Rihanna's 'S&M' and 'The Funky Chicken.'" David knocked his head against the door to punctuate each of the song titles; it wouldn't disturb anyone though: his mother was out doing girly things with his nana and dad was still at work.

"Hmmm…" Hedone sounded intrigued, for a terrifying moment David feared she might try and force him to do those songs. "No 'Funky Chicken,' but you performing 'S&M' would have Kurt jizzing those fancy-pants of his before you could say _'Feels so good being bad_.'"

"No. Absolutely _not_. Kurt's more classy than that." David smiled warmly, thinking of his perfect boyfriend. "Kurt likes _soft_ and _sweet_, _gentle_ and _delicate_. Not rude, crude and lewd."

Hedone smiled and winked at him. "You'd be _very_ surprised. Ever notice how it's always the ultra-conservatives that get into the _juiciest_ scandals? In my experience, the more sexually repressed someone is, the more they _have_ to repress sexually. I guarantee you, once Polly Pocket figures out that you insert 'tab A' into 'slot B' he'll give a whole new meaning to the word insatiable."

David blushed before perking up when he realized the full implications of what his cousin was saying. _"Really?_"

"Trust me, his fantasies may be all black and white musicals, but given the chance that boy could be raunchier than _Caligula_. Which makes him absolutely _perfect_ in the sack for a natural animal like yourself." David blushed again. He wasn't used to people talking about him in a sexual sense, unless it was to whisper 'queer' or 'faggot.' Hedone got a strange look in her eyes, as though she'd just thought of something particularly amusing. "Get undressed."

"What?"

"Get undressed; I need to find you a better outfit." David didn't leave his spot on the floor, or do what Hedone asked. He just watched her as she disappeared into his closet. A moment later, a pair of his nice black slacks came flying out of his closet to land on his bed. David narrowed his eyes. Those were part of one of his work suits; he couldn't imagine for the life of him what Hedone had planned. Another moment passed before another piece of black clothing came flying out of the closet. He couldn't really tell what it was, but assumed it was a shirt. Hedone came out a moment later, her fists balled up on her hips as she looked about his room, trying to spot something. "Where do you keep your undershirts?"

"With my underwear, of course. Top drawer of my bureau." David jutted his chin in the direction of the battered piece furniture near his bed. It had been nice and new when he was a child, but a twelve-year-old David had been interested in incense and candles, but not so interested in paying attention to them. There were crusty build-ups of wax and black charred spots from where candles had been knocked over or allowed to burn too long.

Hedone went over to the drawer and began digging around, she held up a pair of boxers with the Superman S-Shield printed across the ass. "Classy, Dave." David blushed and smiled, but was too curious about Hedone was doing to object to her rifling through his underwear. She pulled out a white undershirt and looker it over. "OOoo, wife-beater. Sexy." She tossed the assembled outfit at David. "All right, get dressed and then get your nice work shoes. We're going out."

"Out where?"

"We're going to teach you how to flirt, how to be confident and how to be sextacular. You, my friend, are going clubbing with me."


	42. Getting On Across The Pond

"How hard is it to change how you look? To shapeshift?"

Hedone had turned herself into a sexy little blond guy so they could explore the nightlife at a gay bar. "Seriously, Dave? I'm trying to make you comfortable with who you are by taking you to a gay bar in a _whole_ _other _country where you can enjoy being _yourself_ without any pressure or fear of reprisal and all you can think about is being someone _else_?"

David shrugged self-consciously. "Not someone else…still me. Just…_better_."

Hedone rolled her eyes. "If Kurt wanted _better_, why the hell would he be with you? He isn't _settling_; that boy honestly gets a boner at the mere thought of being with you. Not the thought of being with a god, not the thought of being with a jock, but the thought of being with a sensitive, intelligent, funny teddy-bear that loves animals, gardening, jewelry, music and cooking. Deal with it, Dipshit."

"So…what exactly am I supposed to be doing here?" David looked around the room; it looked like any club back in the States, only everyone there was a guy. A bunch of men, all about his age or in their twenties, were off on the dance floor, bumping and grinding against each other. Contrary to David's stereotypical expectations of fellow homosexuals, some of them had zero coordination when it came to dancing…either that or they were _really_ drunk.

"Eat, drink, be merry, for tomorrow, you embarrass the hell out of yourself in front of a giant crowd." Hedone smiled mischievously as David got that deer-in-the-headlights look of panic in his eyes. "I'm joking. You'll do fine in your performances. Just relax and go flirt with some guys."

"First of all, my performances are on _Friday_, not tomorrow. Second of all, I'm not _cheating_ on Kurt."

Hedone put on her best little bitch face, reminding David far too much of Kurt for his comfort. "First of all, we're in England and it's past midnight; tomorrow _is_ Friday. Second of all, flirting _isn't_ cheating; just flatter them, let them flatter you, dance with them a bit, et cetera. Anything beyond that is up to you. Meanwhile, this goddess of sexual fulfillment is in need of some sexual fulfillment." Hedone brushed by David as she zeroed in on a tall, bald Vin Diesel-esque hunk. Uncomfortable in his unfamiliar surroundings and unsure as to what to do, David tagged along after her…him? Hedone was already in full-on flirt mode by the time Dave caught up with her. "Dominic, what's yours?"

David stored that information away. _Dominic: her name is Dominic, tonight_. He only vaguely noticed that she had affected a perfect British accent. "I'm Toby." Toby looked over Hedone's shoulder and looked Dave over. Toby, of course, had a British accent as well, but it was different than Hedone's. It hadn't really occurred to David that there were different _types_ of British accents. "Who's your friend?"

Hedone turned around and gave David an exasperated look. Turning again to face Toby, "His name's Dave. He's a friend visiting from America. He just came out recently and I thought I'd take him out clubbing so he could 'loosen up' a bit."

Toby nodded, thinking that over. "Hold up a mo." He looked around the club, tilting his chin up to see over heads, though David couldn't imagine this guy ever had trouble seeing over _anyone's_ head; he was probably about the same height as Finn. "Kieran!" Toby lifted his beer into the air so his friend could spot him. "Hope you don't mind, my friend Kieran's got a soft spot for American accents. Buggered if I know why." He directed the second sentence to Hedone, giving her/him an amused smile.

Kieran, a cute brunette, about David's height and build came up to Toby. "'Sup Tobias?" David cocked his head to the side, _**another**__ different type of accent? How many fucking accents could an __**island**__ have?_

Using his beer to point at them in turn, Toby made the introductions, "Kieran, this is Dominic and David. David, Dominic, this is Kieran. David's an _American_."

Kieran's interest seemed to pique. "That so? What's a Yankee doing on this side of the pond?"

"I'm not much of a Yankee fan; I don't even like baseball all that much." If Kieran was a Yankee fan, David didn't want to create any friction by telling him he was more of a Red Sox fan when it came to baseball.

"Pardon?" Kieran looked genuinely confused. "I'm not quite sure I follow."

Hedone just shook her head, embarrassed by and for her cousin. Deciding to ease everyone's confusion, Hedone changed the topic. "David's here on holiday, so I thought I'd show him a good time. I'm trying to help him get comfortable with the idea of being gay."

"Sounds fun. I'm here for University; I'm from Durrow, Ireland. Tobias and I are flatmates at Brunel. Are you two at Uni?"

"No, I'm a senior in high school." Almost as soon as the words were out of his mouth, David's eyes went wide and his mouth dropped as he remembered where he was and that he had a beer in his hand that Hedone had shoved at him as soon as they arrived.

Toby chuckled, clearly amused. "It's ok, mate. We won't tell on you. 'Sides, drinking age in the UK is 18. We aren't prudes like you Americans."

David shrugged. "Yeah, well we wouldn't be, either, if you hadn't sent all the damned Puritans our way." Both Kieran and Toby seemed amused by that. David smiled to himself a bit. This wasn't difficult; he could talk to strangers and be friendly. _Now how the hell do you flirt?_

Seeming to read David's mind, Hedone placed her hand on Toby's bicep. "How 'bout a dance?" Toby glanced down at Kieran, as though he were asking permission. Kieran gave an almost imperceptible nod and Toby escorted Hedone out to the dance floor.

Shyly, David looked back at Kieran. He wasn't 'interested' in Kieran, not in a sexual way, or anything, but he could pretend if that's what Hedone was after. "Would you like a drink?"

"Sounds good."

Before long, they had found themselves a booth on the outskirts of the dance floor where they could sit and talk. Kieran was studying Politics and Sociology, which, as Kieran informed him, was actually a single major and not two, as David had assumed. David told Kieran about his own plans for college, but quickly realized Kieran had no real interest in that. "So, you look like an athlete. Do you play on any teams?"

"Aye, squash and lacrosse. You?"

"Hockey and football. I play for my school."

"I used to play football back in secondary school."

"That's pretty awesome. I was a right guard, what position did you play?"

Kieran lowered an eyebrow and stared at David for a second before busting out a deep laugh. "Hah! You're talking _American_ football. Sorry, I forgot you yanks can't get your sports straight. I'm talking about _normal_ football. 'Soccer' you call it?" David quirked a smile as he realized Kieran's confusion. "I'll never understand why you call a sport that's played mostly with your hands 'football,' while you call 'football,' which is played with your feet, 'soccer.'"

"Hey, I actually know this one. Back before sports became standardized with leagues and regulation rules you guys had football, 'real' football. But then it started splitting into two different sports, one where you could use your hands, one where you couldn't, but they were both still 'football'. Americans adopted the one where you could use your hands and kept the name, while you guys eventually changed it to 'Rugby Football' while renaming the original feet-only to 'Association Football.' Eventually, Rugby Football got shortened to just 'rugby' and somehow, somewhere along the way the 'association' part of Association Football got butchered and turned into 'soccer' by Americans – I have no clue how."

"Well, I'll be; I never knew."

After that, things seemed to settle a bit, as though they had run out of anything interesting to talk about. Kieran sipped from his beer, while David just fidgeted with his own drink. After many awkward, long, drawn-out moments, David cleared his throat. "I'm not…I'm not going to lie to you. I'm supposed to be practicing flirting and…whatever…but I'm not really comfortable with that. I have a boyfriend and I _really_ don't want to betray him."

"That's fine. Truth be told, I'm not all that interested." Even though Dave himself wasn't interested, it still hurt to be told that. "As much as I love American accents, I'm not really interested in guys like me."

"Like you? How so?"

"Terry Newton-types." Kieran immediately tried to elaborate once he realized David didn't know who he meant. "Um…he was a hooker – a rugby player – fecking hot as all hell, broad-chested, broody looking, the tall, dark handsome type. But that's not the type I'm interested in. To be honest with you, I was kind of hoping your mate was the reason Tobe had called me over."

David blushed a little. "You think I look like this Newton guy?"

"Well you're not his doppelganger, but close enough for horseshoes and hand grenades. So…if you've got yourself a boyfriend, why are you supposed to be chatting me up?"

"Dominic wants me to flirt with guys so that they'll flirt back…give me some confidence and shit."

"You seem confident enough to me."

David scoffed. "Not confident enough. I have to perform in front of thousands of people for this stupid friggin' competition my school's in. But you know what's even _scarier_ than that, to me? I have to do this horrible fucking musical number in front of the few friends I have."

"What kind of musical performance?"

"I'm in my school's show choir and we were each assigned like, the _worst_ possible song for our styles and abilities. I have to do one that makes me look confident and hot and I just feel ridiculous every time I practice it." David downed the last of his beer, hoping he could get enough of a buzz to take his mind off of his stupid assignment.

"What's your boyfriend say about all this?"

David shrugged. "He gets where my insecurities come from, but he doesn't really _buy_ it, you know? He thinks it's all in my head."

"Will he be watching this performance of yours?"

David nodded, looking into the top of his beer can, wondering when an appropriate break in the conversation would come so he could get another one. "He's the one that got me into this stupid club. I mean, don't get me wrong, I really _enjoy_ being in the club…I just don't like being the center of attention."

"So, tell 'em all to feck off. Not literally, of course; but ignore them all. Do your little song and whatever for your boyfriend and no one else. Me mum always says you should do shit for your own self, your own benefit, and nobody else, but I think the whole point of a relationship is that it _isn't_ about you anymore; it's about the two of you. I mean, I wouldn't sing for anyone if my _life_ depended on it, but...if I _could_ sing, I'd definitely sing to my boyfriend, if I had one. And, assuming your boyfriend cares about you, he won't give a shit how bad you do. He'll just be happy you're doing it, especially if he _understands_ how uncomfortable it is for you."

David thought about it. If he were _alone_ with Kurt, he would have no issues doing his song; it'd being embarrassing yeah, but he and Kurt could just joke about it. The _other_ glee kids, however… "I don't want people to laugh at me. He did his song earlier and the entire club was laughing at him the whole time."

"So he should understand where you're coming from. How'd he take it when they laughed at him?"

"He was…" David thought back to earlier that day. Kurt had surreptitiously flipped Puck off when Mr. Schuester wasn't looking, but he definitely had a bit of a smile: his lips tugged in at the corners where he tried to suppress his amusement. "He was _ok_ with it. But he has so much more confidence than-"

"Are they your friends? These other people in your little club?"

Another thing for David to think over. He didn't really have any beefs with any of them anymore, although maybe Quinn had one with him since she's the one who _gave_ him this horrible song. "Well, _yeah_."

"Well, I don't know how you are with your mates, but my mates and I dick around all the time: teasing each other, calling each other names and what-not. It's never mean or cruel; it's all in good fun and if anyone takes it too far we tell them. It's no big deal." David allowed himself a soft smile. Yeah, a few of them might tease him, but all-in-all, most of the kids in glee were good to him now. Tina, Mike, Rory and Brit would never say anything bad about anyone. Santana was kind of protective of him, especially after the way she treated him post-prom last year. Finn and Mercedes would be nice to him out of their loyalty to Kurt. Rachel didn't give him crap because, as she put it, "being a young, gay male he was in a sensitive point in the development of his sexual and personal identity and any form of ridicule could set him back indefinitely." He wasn't entirely certain about Puck or Artie. Sugar would likely be a condescending bitch, but she had no right to talk about _anyone's_ singing or performing. Quinn was his only real enemy…and he couldn't even be sure about that. Yes, the song she gave him would embarrass him for the rest of his high school career, but Kurt felt the same way about Puck's selection for him. Yet, Puck and Kurt were friends. "I have an idea." David, having almost forgotten about Kieran, looked back up at him. "They have karaoke here. You're thousands of miles away from anyone and everyone who's worth a damn. If you're so embarrassed, why not practice in front of a crowd that'll never see you again?"

David felt the blood drain from his face. "Umm…let me get a couple more beers in me first."


	43. Dancing Through Life

**I don't normally do this, but I suggest listening along with Dave's song on Youtube once you get to it. It's such a ridiculous song, but if you try to take it serious, it's _really_ good. I'll let you know his song once we get there : )  
>Also, sorry this chapter is a bit shorter than normal.<br>**

**xoxoxo**

Finn was the next performance and Kurt could _not_ wait. As expected, he had gotten Mike to help him out with the choreography. Finn had even managed to find a bootleg copy of _Wicked_ online that someone filmed at the theatre in order to copy some of Fiyero's moves.

_The trouble with schools is _

_They always try to teach the wrong lesson_

_Believe me, I've been kicked out_

_Of enough of them to know_

_They want you to become less callow_

_Less shallow_

_But I say: why invite stress in?_

_Stop studying strife_

_And learn to live "the unexamined life"..._

_Dancing through life_

_Skimming the surface_

_Gliding where turf is smooth_

_Life's more painless_

_For the brainless_

_Why think too hard?_

_When it's so soothing_

_Dancing through life_

_No need to tough it_

_When you can sluff it off as I do_

_Nothing matters_

_But knowing nothing matters_

_It's just life_

_So keep dancing through..._

_Dancing through life_

_Swaying and sweeping_

_And always keeping cool_

_Life is fraughtless_

_When you're thoughtless_

_Those who don't try_

_Never look foolish_

_Dancing through life_

_Mindless and careless_

_Make sure you're where less_

_Trouble is rife_

_Woes are fleeting_

_Blows are glancing_

_When you're dancing_

_Through life..._

They had condensed the song for the sake of the performance, but all in all (minus Finn nearly tripping several times), it was a spectacular performance. And Kurt had filmed the whole thing on his phone. Now, and forever more, Kurt would have proof that _his_ brother, _Finn Hudson,_ had sung and danced to a Broadway show tune.

David was the grand finale of the week's competitions. Performing at the club had really helped…a _lot_. The guys there absolutely ate it up, even if he was a little nervous at first. Once they saw how petrified he was, Kieran, Hedone and Toby had gotten the crowd energized by chanting his name. The part of him that was trying hard not to laugh at their kindness (and mild silliness) had gone to war with the part of him that was scared shit-less until both sides lost out and he could just _relax_ and go with it. The alcohol had probably helped a little, as well. It mellowed him enough to loosen his inhibitions, but not enough to make him forget the confidence and happiness he felt up there. That's what had gone wrong with his first performance; Athena's confidence boost had come with such an adrenaline rush that he had _crashed_ later, feeling miserable and exhausted and he'd been so hyped up because of her gift everything mixed together in a blur.

After his performance at the club, he'd gotten lots of sincere praise and a few guys even tried flirting with him or asking for his number. He'd politely, yet firmly, rebuffed them all.

He had dressed himself that morning in the same outfit as he had at the club, partially because he thought of it as a good luck charm, partially because he looked _damn_ good in it. The only difference was, instead of the wife-beater underneath, he'd talked Hedone into getting him a fitted, black, fishnet muscle shirt, similar to what he'd seen the original performers of his song wearing in the music video.

Of course, no one knew about his sexy under-attire.

Yet.

As the room finished up its applause and accolades for Finn (and Mike), Kurt gave David's hand a comforting squeeze. David hadn't actually told Kurt about clubbing with Hedone; he wasn't sure how Kurt would react. Would Kurt accuse him of infidelity? Would Kurt believe him if he told him that _no_ flirting actually occurred (by him, anyway)? Would Kurt be mad at him for drinking underage? Or maybe Kurt might get mad that David hadn't invited him along?

Kurt was a complicated little critter; that was for sure.

David stood and approached the microphone. He wouldn't actually be using it; the acoustics in the auditorium were enough that the first few rows, where the glee kids were seated, would be able to hear him fine. Especially if he used his powers to "amp" up his voice a little.

David stood before the assembled amateur performers and gave them his best "sultry" look. There was no instrumental opening to "I'm Too Sexy", so the band waited for the end of the first verse to strike up their chords. The moment David opened his mouth, the lighting crew (a single volunteer from the AV club) focused the spotlight on him.

_I'm too sexy for my love  
>Too sexy for my love<br>Love's going to leave me  
><em>

As the band joined in, David tapped his foot along with the tempo, bobbing his head along to keep his focus.

_I'm too sexy for my shirt  
>Too sexy for my shirt<br>So sexy it hurts_

David ran his hand seductively down his chest, flicking each button open as he did so, revealing the naughty shirt beneath. He could distinctly hear Santana catcall from the second row. His free hand gripped on the back of his neck, his eyes closed in a pained expression as though the sexiness literally _did_ hurt.

_And I'm too sexy for Milan  
>Too sexy for Milan<br>New York, and Japan  
>And I'm too sexy for your party<br>Too sexy for your party  
>No way I'm disco dancing<em>

David sharply pointed to the ground across his waist before thrusting his hand up, pointing in the air over his head, à la John Travolta in _Saturday Night Fever_. For a split second he almost dropped his "sexy" act when he heard someone laugh in the audience. Instead, he ignored them and threw himself that much more into his performance.

I'm a model; you know what I mean  
>And I do my little turn on the catwalk<br>Yeah, on the catwalk  
>On the catwalk, yeah<br>I do my little turn on the catwalk

David imitated doing a very rigid, structured strut down a catwalk, shedding his open blouse as he did so. When he got to the edge of the stage, he gyrated his hips before spinning around on his heel and returning back to the center of the stage.

_I'm too sexy for my car  
>Too sexy for my car<br>Too sexy by far_

He approached the jazz band's bassist and snatched his Ne-Yo style Bollman hat off his head. He modeled it for a second, pulling some cliché poses, before removing it again and Frisbee-ing the hat across the stage.

_And I'm too sexy for my hat  
>Too sexy for my hat<br>What do you think about that?_

I'm a model; you know what I mean  
>And I do my little turn on the catwalk<br>Yeah, on the catwalk  
>On the catwalk, yeah<br>I shake my little tush on the catwalk

David mocked strutting the catwalk again, only this time, when he got to the edge of the stage, he immediately about-faced and wiggled his ass at the glee club. He could definitely hear more than one person laughing that time; it was ok though, he hadn't meant for that to be "serious."

_I'm too sexy for my cat  
>Too sexy for my cat<br>Poor pussy  
>Poor pussy cat<br>I'm too sexy for my love  
>Too sexy for my love<br>Love's going to leave me_

And I'm too sexy for this song

On the last word, the spotlight was switched off, leaving David a dark silhouette on the stage. He waited with baited breath for the reaction of his "friends." He didn't have to wait long. Kurt immediately started up with his hyperactive, over-enthusiastic clapping. The rest of the glee members began cheering as the stage lights came back up. He smiled, completely blown away with himself that he had done it; he'd actually been able to sing _and_ perform, on his own, in front of a crowd without the aide of a goddess or alcohol. He felt light headed and dizzy. He sat down on the edge of the stage and slid off, rather than allow himself to pass out and _fall_ off.

"That was really _amazing,_ David." Mr. Schuester approached him and clapped him on the back. "I'm impressed with how well you were able to pull that off. Not only have you _truly_ come out of your shell for this performance, but you were able to take a song that's, more or less, become a joke in the musical community and turn it into something _real_ and _passionate_." David wasn't quite sure _that_ was very accurate, but he'd take the praise. "Where'd this come from? _This_ is the David we saw that first day you auditioned. Where did that David go and what brought him back?"

"Ummm..." He couldn't really tell the truth, but he could come close…well, close _enough_. "My cousin has been coaching me on this almost all week. She really helped me…_embrace_ this side of myself." Even with his attention on Mr. Schue and the glee club as a whole, he could see Kurt's little, perfectly coiffed eyebrow rise up in interest. Ok, apparently he'd _have_ to tell the whole truth to Kurt later. He didn't want Kurt to think he was relying on godly gifts, again. "And I did a little homework on _Right Said Fred_, the band that wrote 'I'm Too Sexy' and one of the singers, one of the brothers, is actually bi-sexual, so I could really kind of connect to the song."

"Awesome, David. I hope you can find that same kind of personal connection with all of your songs from now on. Especially tonight." Mr. Schuester turned to face all of his pupils. "That's it guys! You're done with your homework for this week and each and every one of you deserves a nice break for all your hard work. Unfortunately, we don't have _any_ time to relax. You have until 5 o'clock…" Mr. Schuester held his wrist up to his face and shook his sleeve down a little to look at his watch. "…three hours to practice and prepare yourselves mentally, physically, emotionally…whatever you need to be the absolute best you can be tonight. This is it guys: our first competition of the year! I'll see you at five and we will _rock_ sectionals!"


	44. The Thing About Weasels

"Wasn't that _so_ amazing, David? I swear, every time it's like a complete _rush_. It's like getting hit with a slushy; it always takes me by complete surprise when we win. I'm _so_ nervous every time we perform, but we did so awesome, tonight! And you! You did so well up there. How did you feel? Good? The more you do it the easier it becomes, I promise. Blaine texted me and said they won their sectionals, too, of course." David just smiled in the passenger seat, nodding along as his boyfriend babbled away a mile a minute. It was really kinda cute; he was like a hyper little pupp dog.

Half an hour after leaving the competition, they pulled into the driveway of a large house: Blaine's Warbler friend's house. It was in the style of a French colonial, a horrifically out-of-place style in Ohio. The gallery porches overhanging the windows on both the first and second stories likely let out a good deal of heat. It was completely impractical for the freezing cold winters of the Midwest…unless you had the money to make up for all its shortcomings.

There were easily two-dozen cars in the driveway, some of them parked on the perfectly manicured front lawn. A few of the vehicles David recognized: Finn's truck, Puck's junker, Quinn's sedan. The rest looked like they shouldn't be let out of the dealership's showroom. Despite being the god of wealth, David's father believed in modesty. The Lincoln Towncar as well as his and David's suits were probably the only things he'd ever really splurged on and that was only because Paul understood that the way you presented yourself and your business helped dictate the type of clientele you would attract. Because of that, David had never really been spoiled, despite being a prince as well as a god. He thought kids his age driving BMWs and Jaguars was something that only happened on reality television shows. He'd be lying if he said he weren't the slightest bit jealous of all the shiny black, blue and silver paint parked in front of the Warbler's mini-mansion.

Kurt slipped his hand into David's, tugging him excitedly along the paved driveway. "I see some of the guys. Come on, I'll introduce you!" Sure enough, there were two boys out on the front porch, beers already in hand. As he walked up the porch stairs, David could see that one of the boys, the blond one still fully dressed in his Dalton Academy uniform, was a bit taller than himself. The other one, a skinny kid, with brown hair and a butt chin like Mr. Schuster's, had removed his blazer and only had his uniform slacks and a t-shirt on. "Hey guys! Bob, Thad, this is David, my boyfriend. David, this is "Beatbox Bob" and Thad."

Thad, the skinny one, had to switch his beer around to shake David's hand. Bob just tilted his chin out at him in greeting. "Sup?"

David shrugged, trying to look cool and nonchalant. "Not much. Figured I'd tag along, meet some of Kurt's old friends."

Kurt gave each of them a loose, one-armed hug. "It's so good to see you guys, again. Is Blaine here, yet?"

"Yeah, he got here about fifteen minutes ago. He should be around back. That's where the drinks are." Thad gestured to the far end of the porch, indicating that the porch wrapped around the entire house and you could just go around, rather than through the house, to get to the drinks.

"Awesome, thanks." Kurt took David's hand again, tugging him along to the back of the house. If the entire night was going to be like this, he could probably deal with it: five seconds of pleasantries per person, no trying to deal with awkward conversations, not having to remember a hundred different names.

He was much mistaken. As soon as they got to the bar – seriously, what family has their own friggin' _bar_ built into the back of their house? – David could see that this was the "it" place to be. Half of the New Directions, nine guys in various states of partial uniform dressage and a flock of girls David didn't recognize were all orbiting the booze. Once they got within the gravitational pull of the bar, Kurt unlatched his hand from David's and immediately began mauling the Warbler guys with semi-hugs, some of them more enthusiastic than others. If this was how Kurt was with casual friends, David couldn't _wait_ to see Kurt greet Blaine.

David wandered closer to the side of the bar where Puck was flirting with a Latina in a Catholic schoolgirl uniform. A mousy looking brunette girl was trying to get in on the flirting action with Puck, but he was only interested in the sexy chola. The first girl, on the other hand, didn't look like she had the time of day for Puck. Her eyes pointedly looked anywhere _but_ Puck as she swished her drink around in her clear plastic cup. When her eyes wandered over to David, she seemed to perk up a bit. She looked him over before smiling seductively. "Ay, papi."

David felt his eyebrows shoot up in surprise. Behind the girl, David could see Puck shoot him a pissed off look. He mouthed something that looked to David like 'what the fuck, dude?' David had absolutely _no_ interest in getting involved in this. "I-I'm _gay_…and taken."

Her smile flickered and became more studious; she looked him over again, more appraisingly this time. "I can work with that."

David swallowed hard. "Yeah…no you can't." He turned around and tried peering through the crowds to find Kurt. He'd much rather get introduced to and have awkward conversations with every person at the party than deal with a girl coming on to him. Girls scared him. Especially girls that reminded him of Santana; they could get downright dangerous.

It was easy enough to spot Kurt once he heard Blaine's voice. "Hey, everyone! We got the karaoke set up in the living room and _Just Dance_ on the X-Box in the game room!" Turning towards Blaine's voice, David could see Kurt jump out at him. Blaine was wearing a salmon colored polo and mint green khaki pants; David would have bust out laughing at him if he didn't see what happened next. Blaine leaned into Kurt and gave him a long, lingering hug, before ushering him into the house. David could feel his jaw set into a firm scowl.

xoxoxo

He'd been at this damn party for at least forty-five minutes and hadn't seen Kurt since he went inside with Blaine. Granted, David hadn't actively gone _looking_ for Kurt, but still. He nursed a Bud Light Lime while talking with some Warbler about football. For the life of him, he couldn't remember the kid's name. And he was more than willing to bet that, the second he walked away from this conversation, the kid could come up to him, punch him in the face and David would have no clue who he was. That's how invested David was in the conversation. Eventually, the kid was distracted by another Warbler and went off with him and a pair of girls in pleated skirts. David would have to ask someone later why the girls were mostly dressed like that. Did they go to Dalton, too? Wasn't it an all-boys school?

By now, the crowd around the bar had thinned significantly to just a stray person or couple here and there. The novelty of underage drinking had seemingly dissipated. Either that or someone had moved the bottles of beer inside. David was leaning towards the latter, seeing as he couldn't find a new Bud Light to replace the one he had finally finished. Someone seemed to notice his confusion and spoke up. "Bob and some tall dorky guy moved the booze into the house so people could sing, dance _and_ drink. If you want, I can make you a cocktail or something, though?"

David looked up. For a moment he thought he was staring at a weasel-gazelle lovechild. He wasn't sure why, but that was really the only way he could think to describe this guy. "Sorry, no. I don't really do 'fruity'."

The guy snorted. "That's funny, I thought you were 'doing' the _queen_ of fruity. That's who you came here with isn't it?" The smug bastard looked far too pleased with his own lame joke for David's taste.

"Fuck you, asshole. That's my boyfriend." He still had his empty, glass beer bottle in hand and took solace in the knowledge that he could easily smash off the end of it and jab it into this prick.

The weasel held his hands up placating, an amused, shit-eating grin on his face. "Relax, I'm gay, too. It's not offensive."

"Fuck that shit. I don't like hearing gays use slurs about other gays anymore than I like hearing my friend Azimio say 'nigger' or 'nigga.' You need to have some fucking respect for yourself. And don't you dare talk shit about Kurt." David leaned towards his new acquaintance, his chest puffed out and his shoulders squared. He was more than ready to punch this guy if necessary.

The other guy seemed completely unfazed by David's posturing. "First of all, you had _better_ be black with a name like 'Azimio'. What the hell kind of name is that? Second of all, I have _plenty_ of respect for myself. _Other_ people, however…" He seemed to think it over a moment. "…I generally find aren't so deserving of it. And thirdly…your boyfriend, that little twig you came in with, is Kurt? _The_ Kurt? The amazing, perfect, infamous Kurt _Hummel?_"

Dave cocked his head to the side. "If you don't know Kurt, how do you know _of_ him?"

Weasel rolled his eyes. "He's all Blaine ever talks about. 'Kurt this' and 'Kurt that.' Honestly, I was picturing Hugh Jackman or Robert Downey Junior. You know, the apex of male…" He closed his eyes to think of the perfect adjective. Instead, he let out a sexual grunt, "Ugh."

David calmed his breathing. As much as he _really_ wanted to lay into this douche bag, _he_ wasn't David's problem. Blaine was. The very guy David had allowed his boyfriend to go off with. David decided his first priority should be finding Kurt and preventing anything happening between him and Blaine.

They weren't hard to find. Everyone at the party was either dancing, watching other people dance, singing or watching other people sing. Blaine and Kurt were in the "singing" room. Finn and Rachel had the microphones and were dueting with one another. Finn had a pained, constipated look on his face. David couldn't really blame him; it was obvious Rachel had picked out the song, "I Got You Babe," and Finn wasn't caring much for the selection.

Kurt and Blaine were on one of the couches together, their bodies angled towards one another, their postures mirrored in one another. He couldn't hear what they were saying over the general chatter and singing in the room, but both had thousand-watt smiles. Kurt was gesturing animatedly about something, his hands flailing about like he were practicing sign language. Blaine's head tilted back as he laughed at something Kurt had said.

David felt someone shove past him. It only took him half a second to realize it was weasel-boy. David didn't want him _anywhere_ near Kurt (the last thing the party needed was a gay cat-fight breaking out) so David tagged along after. Weasel boy sat down on the arm of the couch beside Blaine, while David stood next to the edge of the couch where Kurt was seated. Blaine didn't notice David, but he did notice the weasel. "Hey, Seb. You all done playing bartender?"

Seb? Sebastian. This was _his_ house then. What a piss-poor host. "Yeah, didn't get a whole lot of chances to practice my mixology skills. The guys all wanted beer and the girls from Crawford either don't drink or just wanted wine coolers. Pussies."

Kurt turned around and took David's hand in his own. He squeezed it gently before joining in on Sebastian and Blaine's conversation. "I heard Trent's girlfriend Nataly is an _excellent_ drinker."

"She was…until she got busted with a beer in the dorms. She may as well be an Al-Anon under house arrest, now."

The evening continued from there. The three guys talking about mutual friends that David had never heard of. David just sat on the arm of the chair, next to Kurt, listening in and trying to piece together this part of Kurt's life that he was completely separate from. Yes, Kurt and David talked about Kurt's time at Dalton, but it was always about classes or vague details that blurred together in David's mind.

Eventually, the karaoke music lulled to a dull background noise. No one was actively playing with the machine, so it had started playing random tracks. Blaine seemed to notice it had become free quicker than anyone. "Oh, yay. My turn!" Blaine jumped up and fidgeted with the machine for half a moment before finding his song. Percussions started up and Blaine joined in a moment later.

_Summer after high school, _

_When we first met_

_We'd make out in your Mustang to Radiohead_

_And on my eighteenth birthday,_

_We got matching tattoos_

_Used to steal your parents' liquor_

_And climb to the roof_

_Talk about our future like we had a clue_

_Never planned that one day_

_I'd be losing you_

_In another life, I would be your girl_

_We'd keep all our promises,_

_Be us against the world_

_In another life, I would make you stay_

_So I don't have to say you were_

_The one that got away_

_The one that got away_

_I was June and you were my Johnny Cash_

_Never one without the other, _

_We made a pact_

_Sometimes when I miss you,_

_I put those records on_

_Someone said you had your tattoo removed_

_Saw you downtown, _

_Singing the blues_

_It's time to face the music,_

_I'm no longer your muse_

_In another life, I would be your girl_

_We'd keep all our promises,_

_Be us against the world_

_In another life, I would make you stay_

_So I don't have to say you were_

_The one that got away_

_The one that got away_

_The one that got away_

_All this money can't buy me a time machine, no_

_Can't replace you with a million rings, no_

_I should have told you what you meant to me, _

_Cause now I pay the price_

_In another life, I would be your girl_

_We'd keep all our promises,_

_Be us against the world_

_In another life, I would make you stay_

_So I don't have to say you were_

_The one that got away_

_The one that got away_

_In another life, I would make you stay_

_So I don't have to say you were_

_The one that got away_

_The one that got away_

Blaine smiled at Kurt. Meanwhile, David had to restrain himself from sending every stray animal, bug, raccoon and skunk in the area straight for Blaine's throat.


	45. What Would Brian Boitano Do?

**Wow…the Blaine-hate was NOT expected! I don't think he got this much hate even when he tried forcing himself on Kurt in the show.**

**xoxoxo**

David had been quiet…well, more quiet than usual. David wasn't one to instigate a lot of conversation, but he could usually be trusted to keep up his side of the conversation. Then again, since Kurt had spent most of the night talking with Blaine and Sebastian, did David even feel that he _did_ have a side of conversation to keep up?

They had just gotten into Kurt's vehicle and David immediately settled in on the passenger side, his elbow leaning on the side of the window, his head balanced in his fist. Kurt decided it was necessary to break the awkward silence if the drive was going to be anything less than painful. "You know, _Immortals_ is out in theatres. Blaine has been telling me how much he wants to see it – he loves those types of movies – but I'm not nearly as enthusiastic about it as he is. You're into that type of thing; it's about Ancient Greece. You and Blaine can "oo" and "ah" over the fight scenes, I can ogle the costume design, and then, afterwards, we can go on a shopping spree. I can _finally_ finish that wardrobe overhaul we had planned for you months ago. How's that sound?"

David was still quiet: thoughtful for a moment. "Have you ever tried giving Blaine a makeover?"

"No, why would I?"

David let out a derisive snort. "You try to give _me_ makeovers all the time and, well…his sense of style's a bit…well, it's pathetic, really. Don't you think?"

"I kind of like it. It's like a contemporary take on retro kitsch." Kurt smiled at David. It hadn't occurred to him that David had ever noticed what anyone else wore…except for the whole Lady Gaga/KISS week glee club had done his sophomore year.

"'Kitsch?' Isn't that Jewish for 'tacky'?"

Kurt couldn't help letting out his own amused snort of laughter. Blaine always managed to rock his attire…even if it was rather tacky. Though Rachel's sweaters had probably desensitized Kurt to tacky. "I'm pretty sure it's German. And stop being mean…" Kurt smiled as he said it, but in the pause following, his smile faded. Like they had when he realized David _really was_ a god, certain things started to click into place, like how defensive David got anytime Blaine was mentioned. Or how quiet he always was around Blaine. Blaine was the common denominator. "Oh my god, you _are_ being mean, aren't you? Why don't you like Blaine?" It hurt Kurt that his boyfriend didn't like his best friend, especially since the two had so much in common.

"I'm not an idiot." David's voice got low and sulky, "It's only a matter of time before he begs for you to take him back."

Kurt was tempted to slam on the brakes to confront his boyfriend. Of all the stupid, juvenile… _You know what? Fuck it_. Kurt pulled the car over to the side of the lonely road and ripped the emergency brake back. "I can't believe you're _jealous_ of him. He isn't going to 'beg' for me to take him back. Why would he? _He_ broke up with _me_."

David practically jumped out of his seat, instantly sitting bolt upright and slamming his open palms into his laps. "That makes it a bazillion times _worse_!"

Kurt was dumbfounded. His eyebrows were knit together, his mouth hung open with his cheeks scrunched up from his confused scowl. He was sure it was one of the least attractive faced he'd ever made. "How the hell do you figure that?"

"Because that means you still _liked_ him when you broke up." David kept his voice slow and condescending, like he was trying to explain basic arithmetic to an inept middle schooler. "How do I know you haven't been pining away for him all this time?"

Kurt turned away from David, completely unable to look at him. He stared out the front windshield, his mouth once again gaping open. "I cannot believe we are having this conversation. I love _you_, not Blaine. I am _with_ you, not Blaine. If I didn't leave you for Adonis, why would I leave you for Blaine?"

"Wait, waitwaitwait, back up, what?" _Oops,_ Kurt thought. David obviously hadn't heard anything about that.

"Oh…um…your dad sent Adonis to figure out if I was loyal to you or not. I passed the test." The first part Kurt said as nonchalantly as possible; the second part came out as a timid squeak, as though he wasn't certain whether he should be proud of his accomplishment or not.

David's anger was temporarily re-directed as he thought about his father's apparent betrayal. He sat back in his chair, slowly, trying to figure out how or why his _father,_ of all people, would do something like that. "I can't believe he would do that!"

Kurt shrugged it off, playing with his seat belt where it met the buckle. He couldn't help feeling bad that he may have inadvertently caused yet another fight in David's family. "It's no big deal, Dave. In fact, it was kind of interesting meeting more of your family."

David folded his arms over his chest, looking for all the world like an insufferable little child. "Yeah, well it doesn't change the fact that Blaine's got the hots for you, still."

Kurt just rolled his eyes. For all intents and purposes, David _was_ a little child. From what Kurt had learned and read so far, most of the gods were stubborn, petulant little brats. "How do you figure?"

"He was _serenading_ you."

This time Kurt's snort was of genuine amusement. He couldn't even contain the hiccup of a laugh that escaped from his throat. "Oh dear god, I cannot believe this. He wasn't singing to _me_; he was singing to the boy _next_ to me. Did you see the guy with the popped collar?" Kurt smiled over at David, his head tilted to the side so he could see David's down-turned face better. He was so pleased to see that this was all a misunderstanding.

David's face scrunched together in confusion. "You mean that weasel-boy, Sebastian?"

"I'll take that as a 'yes'. _Anyway_, Blaine likes _him_. Not me. I'm not now, nor ever, going to leave you for _Blaine_." Kurt reached across the center divide and placed his hand over David's. "Or _anyone,_ provided you stop acting like a King Kamehameha bi-atch."

David frowned and his voice went low and grumpy. "I am not acting like a…" He stopped short and his voice perked up as he realized what Kurt had just called him. "Wait a minute…did you just reference _South Park_?"

Kurt smiled devilishly, more to himself than anyone. "Well, _I'm_ not an idiot, either. I'm fully aware of the fact that you sometimes watch movies or listen to music you hate _just_ because _I_ like it and you want us to have things to talk about. What kind of boyfriend would I be if I didn't reciprocate?" Kurt could tell from the colors blossoming in David's cheeks that he was struggling to suppress a smile. "Besides, I found it rather impressive that they were able to turn _that_ into a musical."

David's smile finally burst forth as he looked over at Kurt. His voice was soft and sounded slightly apologetic for his earlier behavior. "I can't believe you sat through _South Park_ for me. Can we watch it together, sometime?"

"Maybe." Kurt shrugged. It hadn't been nearly as horrible as he expected. Some of the tunes were even slightly catchy. Though, as a gay teen, he could have done without the subplot dealing with Stan's search for the great and powerful Clitoris.

"You know the actor that played Gregory's singing voice was on Broadway, right?"

"_The Book of Mormon_?" Kurt scrunched up his face. David couldn't possibly be confusing that tripe with true Broadway splendor.

"No, _Phantom of the Opera_."

"Shut…up." Even to his own ears, he sounded like a clueless teenage girl as the two words left his mouth.

David at least seemed amused by his temporary loss of composure. "It's true. My mom's kind of a theatre ner- '_aficionado'_ like you. She dragged me to see Phantom back in oh-two. We got to meet Carlotta's understudy and I slipped her a note to give to the guy playing the phantom – Howard McGillin. A month later, I got a signed letter and playbill from him. It was pretty badass. Anyway, a few years later, when I saw the _South Park_ movie, I was reading about it on IMDB, checking out trivia and shit, you know? Anyway, I saw the name Howard McGillin and it wrung a bell. I checked it out and it was the same dude."

Kurt thought that over. He'd heard of Howard McGillin. He was the longest running Phantom, last time Kurt had checked. He couldn't help but feel mildly jealous of David. "That's pretty nifty. The biggest celebrity I've ever met is the owner of _Precision Car Parts. Hummel Tire and Lube _gets a lot of their supplies from them."

David feigned a look of insult. "I'll be sure to tell my dad you don't think of him as a celebrity. Or Adonis, or my nana, or my mom, but, you know – whatever."

Kurt nudged David playfully. "Well, I can't really _tell_ people that, can I? 'Hey, guess what, I've met Hades, god of the Underworld.' 'Gee, that's great, hold still while I take your straight-jacket measurements?'"

David smiled and went back to looking out the window, thinking about everything that had happened in the last few minutes, trying to figure out how A led to B and to C and to D. They definitely needed to get back to 'A.' "So, why the hell would _anyone_ like that d-bag?"

Kurt shook his head. The concept was completely lost on him. He hadn't met Sebastian a whole lot, just every so often at the Lima Bean, but it had been instantaneous dislike for both of them. The only reason they suffered each other's company was for Blaine's sake. "I don't know, ask Aphrodite; isn't she the one that likes making horrible matches? Besides, Blaine says they sing amazing duets together and, apparently, duet-ing automatically equals love at first sight."

"Well, I _was_ mouthing the words when you guys did "Push It" a few years ago, so I'll count that as a duet."

Kurt blushed, but decided to ignore that last comment. That song had been so mortifyingly embarrassing. He hadn't been that embarrassed again until Blaine made Kurt examine his different 'sexy faces.' "And he went to school in France, so he's 'very cultured and worldly' according to Blaine. Although, I've heard from Trent he got kicked out of his school in France." Kurt's tone was definitely haughty and arrogant as he thought back over the nasty little tidbits Trent had fed him about Sebastian's sordid past: something about all-boy classes, a young male professor and some disgustingly blatant and overly sexualized pick-up lines.

"Pft. I was _born_ in France."

This time Kurt _was_ thankfully actually able to restrain himself from laughing, though just barely. "Yet, you speak _Na'vi_ better than French."

"That's not true. 'Sides, the Na'vi are badass warriors _and_ animal-friendly." He was beginning to sound like a defensive little child again.

"I've _heard_ you speak French, David. Your counting translates to 'one, two, three, cedar, five, six, September, enjoy, nine, ten. And you think vertigo is a color. I think you're confusing it with the Spanish word for green." It was honestly the closest thing to an excuse Kurt could make for his boyfriend's ineptitude in the native tongue of his birth country.

"Sor-_ry_. French is hard. Besides, I'm already fluent in English, Latin, Greek and every non-human animal language. What more do you want? It was completely pointless for me to even try and learn anyway; I'll just _know_ it once I get full use of my powers next week."

Deciding that their fight was well past done, Kurt lowered the emergency break and moved the shifter back into first. "You still nervous about that?" Why was it Kurt always seemed to be the one reassuring _David_ about everything? Granted, he was getting better about needing the constant emotional support, but who'd have thought dating a jock would be such a strain on the limbic system? Weren't jocks, especially _guy jocks_, supposed to be relatively devoid of a wide range of emotions?

"I think I'm kind of in shock. Like…isn't that one of the stages of grief or something? Shock and denial? I'm kind of like 'nah, nothing's going to happen. I'll still be me; nothing will change.' But logically, I know that's complete bullshit. Power _changes_ people." He had to stop himself from quoting the clichéd line 'absolute power corrupts absolutely.' Yadda, yadda, yadda. "My dad once joked that he was sure when I got my full powers I'd send rabid rat plagues after every animal testing facility in the country. I know he was joking, but…my temper still sucks every now and then, you know? The truth is, I don't know _what_ I'll be like this time next week."

Kurt took his hand off the shifter, he was in third gear anyway and wouldn't need to worry about it for a while, and cupped his hand over David's, grasping it gently, reassuringly. "Whatever happens, I'll be there for you, David. I'll see you through this, even if I can't do anything but hold your hand, that's what I'll do. But we need to _talk_ about things when you're upset or bothered. The two of us need to be _completely_ honest with each other: about our thoughts, our feelings. If you were so worried about Blaine, you should have just _said_ something instead of being mopey and sulking all night."

David turned that over in his head. He'd been meaning to be completely honest with Kurt about things anyway, might as well start with the most recent one that they _hadn't_ already cleared off the table. "Hedone took me clubbing in London on Wednesday. She wanted me to learn to flirt with guys. I swear to god nothing happened other than karaoke!" Kurt's hand tensed slightly over his own, before relaxing again.

"We will _definitely_ be talking about that later…"Kurt's voice sounded like his name: _curt_. "…but for now, if we're being honest with each other: I kiss and tell - _big time_. I tell Blaine everything…minus the god-stuff." At least Kurt had the decency to blush and look slightly ashamed.

However, David didn't like Kurt feeling that bad in anyway shape or form, so he decided to lighten the mood a bit. Things had been far too serious in this vehicle for one night. "I'm terrified of possums."

Kurt opened his mouth to share his next secret when he paused for a second, ruminating over David's confession. "Wait a minute…aren't they part of your domain?"

"Doesn't matter. You should hear what those little evil bastards talk about. Miniature Nazis, every last one of them."

Both of them laughed at that. If any animal were to have a streak of pure evil in it, Kurt could picture it as being possums…or hyenas. Those bastards freaked Kurt out. "I used to fantasize about Finn." If David could embarrass himself with a stupid secret, Kurt could, as well.

"I'm pretty sure everyone knows that."

David's voice was laced with mild amusement, so Kurt elaborated with the part that was more-or-less a secret to everyone. "About _marrying_ Finn."

David still didn't like the idea of Kurt being attracted to other men. And it really kind of bothered him that the guys Kurt once upon a time mooned over were all still around: Blaine, Finn, Sam. If he wanted to keep Kurt, he had to be completely honest with him. "I think about you when I…you know… _do_ things."

Kurt was quiet for a long time. David wondered if he'd maybe taken it too far: been too honest. He was debating throwing a 'just kidding' into the silence of the vehicle when Kurt finally spoke up. "I think about you, too."

Of all the things David had expected Kurt to say that was not one of them. "You masturbate?"

For some reason unbeknownst to David, Kurt apparently found that question highly amusing, as evidenced by Kurt's sudden, uncontrollable giggling. "Contrary to popular belief, I _am_ a guy." Kurt looked David straight in the eye, despite the fact that he should have been focused on the road. His smile softened slowly and he looked away, suddenly bashful, again. "You know…my dad's not expecting me home tonight."

David cocked his head curiously to the side. "Were you supposed to go to Mercedes'?"

"No. I talked to my dad after I left your house the other evening. I told him about the party we were going to tonight and that we wouldn't get out till late. Then I told him how your birthday party was tomorrow, so I'd probably be leaving early to go over to your house. Eventually, he put two and two together. He gave me permission to spend the night with you." It came out slowly, sentence by sentence, as Kurt thought over the best way to word things without pressuring David or coming off looking…well, slutty.

Now it was David's turn to be quiet as he thought that over. A night with Kurt? There were few things he could think of more alluring in the whole world. But at the same time: "There's some place I want to take you."

**xoxoxo**

**The Howard McGillin story David shared is true (it is my own story). The letter and playbill have their own little shrine in my room along with a music box that plays "Music of the Night" and an original poster from the first Broadway run. BTW, anyone else think Kurt slaughtered "Music of the Night" (and not just the "dancing(?)", either)?**


	46. A Night in the Underworld pt 1

**I'm starting to think the Mayans were right:**

**1) My hard drive and backup fry within three days of each other effectively destroying almost all of my electronic assets**

**2) I get second-degree burns covering my hand in my first attempt at sautéing fish**

**3) I cut my thumb off**

**4) My fiancé was arrested for drunk driving**

**5) My room flooded and if took a WEEK for my plumber-father to figure out where the water was coming from. I have been living in the living room for three weeks while we try to get everything back together in my room.**

**6) Then something happened to my best friend that made it really difficult for me to stomach writing the second half of this chapter (see my other story Shadows of Tomorrow or the first chapter of Let Me Be Your Wings, if you're curious; I have trouble thinking the word, much less writing it right now).**

**This year sucks**

**Thank you for bearing with me. This chapter was a wee bit longer to make up for my lack of updates but it came out _really_ long, so I chopped it in two.**

**And for my British-English speaking readers: the use of "torch" in this chapter does not refer to a plastic or metal cylinder that puts out electric light via light bulb. It is referring to a stick with a ball of fire on it.**

**I got halfway through "Prince Caspian" before I realized that Edmund was not carrying fire around with him in the train station, but rather a flashlight. **

**Damn Brits…**

**xoxoxo**

When they pulled up to David's house, David reached across the center divide in the car and took Kurt's hand in his own, rubbing gentle circles on the backside of his boyfriend's hand with his thumb. It was dark in David's unlit driveway; trees lining the sidewalk and pavement kept out any light from the street lamps. David's closest neighbors were at least a block away in each direction, further eliminating the odds of stray luminescence lighting the lonely vehicle. Kurt turned to face David, smiling shyly at the love of his life.

David returned his smile, a bit less shy than Kurt's, but still reserved and bashful. David's cheeks always managed to turn such a nice pink when he was embarrassed and the color was often accented by the pink of his tongue peeking from between his lips. "You ready?" Kurt nodded; he had no idea what David had planned, but he trusted him. "Brace yourself." Kurt was about to ask him 'why?' when he felt the world start to tilt and gravity seemed to dissipate. It was like when you were lying in bed and you hadn't quite drifted off yet, but you could still feel the world slipping away.

Before Kurt could open his mouth to ask David what was happening, they were someplace completely different: someplace Kurt had never seen before. They were standing (not seated as they had been) in a large, open room. Everything looked like white marble…or perhaps alabaster, Kurt couldn't quite tell which. On either side of the pathway were long, wide wading pools. Kurt could quite clearly see koi fish swimming between the reeds of water lotuses and lilies. Small, brightly colored frogs sat on some of the lily pads. At the end of the pathway were several broad steps, leading up to a higher section of clean, white floor prominently displaying two very embellished thrones. One was obviously made of ebony; the back of the chair, the rungs, and the legs were intertwined black spires with a heavy, indelible grain. Gold, silver, diamonds and rubies were inset into the wood forming unintelligible, yet beautiful, intricate designs. The second throne was made of swirling, tangled vines of ivy. Kurt couldn't tell from where he stood, but the ivy was made of living, growing emeralds. Various flowers made of other precious stones and metals blossomed all over the chair. "Your parents' palace?" David smiled and squeezed his hand affirmatively. "We're in _Russia_?"

A deep, throaty chuckle bubbled up through David's chest. "No, their _other_ palace." Kurt stood dumbfounded next to his boyfriend, afraid to move out of reverence for where he stood, where he was. He was in the _Underworld_. A slight tug from David pulled Kurt from his thoughts. "Come on; this place is boring." _Boring_? It was stunning. The more Kurt examined, the more he discovered. The white ionic columns supporting the ceiling morphed halfway up into the trunks of trees. The ceiling was the interwoven braches of these magic trees, forming a thick canopy where innumerable plants grew. The wading pools got darker and deeper the farther they got from the pathway; Kurt was positive that he saw a large, grey, triangular fin pop up from the deep end of the pool for a brief moment.

David's insistent tugging on Kurt's hand forced him to cut his observations short. They hopped up the steps leading towards his parents' throne and Kurt only had the briefest of moments to appreciate the glorious craftsmanship before David had pulled him between the folds of a large tapestry hanging on the wall behind the thrones. A room larger than any indoor space Kurt had ever seen before lay spread out ahead of them. Kurt couldn't even see the walls. If it weren't for the ceiling some three stories above, he would have doubted they _were_ inside. The room was furnished with thousands upon thousands of bookshelves, each filled to the brim with traditional books, clay tablets, wooden tablets, electronic tablets, scrolls, notebooks, notepads, laptops, computers, reams of paper. The shelves only came up to Kurt's chest so he could see forever to the left, to the right and forward. On top of the shelves and beside them were statues, both large and small, decorative ceramics, paintings displayed on easels and furniture: couches, loveseats, sedans, recliners, rocking chairs. It was incredible. "What _is_ this place?"

"People, animals and plants aren't the only things that can die. _This_, my father's museum, is one of the reasons the other gods hate him so much." There was no malice in David's voice, only cocky amusement. "When a work of art gets destroyed: literature, treatises, paintings, sculptures, almost anything, it comes here. Just about every book ever written is housed here."

"So, what, every copy of _Twilight_ someone's throne into the garbage or fireplace is here?"

David snorted. "Not quite. One copy of every _edition_ is here…provided the edition changed in some way: the foreword, the cover art, the editing, the introduction, whatever. Even manuscripts that got corrupted on bad hard drives. Hence the laptops."

Kurt looked around the room. Normally, he'd be rather upset that Paul was hoarding all of this beauty for himself, except it wasn't just for Paul's personal benefit. Hundreds, if not thousands, of people wandered throughout the shelves, browsing, thumbing through thick volumes, nodding as they read over pamphlets; he could even see several gentleman, each dressed in the unique costume of a different era and locality arguing over a thin paperback. One of the men, looking like he belonged at the first Thanksgiving, whacked one of the other men over the head with the book. "Who are all these people?"

"The dead, mostly. Those from Asphodel and the Elysian Fields have free reign of the museum, if they want. Nymphs, no matter who they serve, can come with their master's permission. All gods and goddesses can visit."

"It just occurred to me… _every _book ever written is here?"

David thought that over. "Well…if it was a single volume that still exists and has never been reproduced, journals and diaries, mostly, it wouldn't be here."

"Hemingway's lost World War One manuscript?" David nodded. "Shakespeare's _Cardenio?" _An affirmative grunt came from his boyfriend. "The complete works of Sappho?"

"Yes. And the remaining books of the Epic Cycle, _lots_ of missing books from the Bible and Torah, everything housed in the Library of Alexandria and the Grand Library of Baghdad, every book ever burned for subversion and heresy, a missing book by Jane Austin, missing poems by Dickinson, the original draft of _Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. _Just name it."

Kurt worried his bottom lip with his teeth and nervously clasped and unclasped is hands. "I couldn't possibly…?"

David smiled and wrapped his arm around Kurt's shoulders. "Just name it."

"I'd like to read Sappho's works." A woman who had been standing nearby tending to some books stood upright and looked at David. She had impossibly large and beautiful eyes and the smoothest, palest skin. David nodded at her and she turned and walked off. The way she walked seemed to defy any sense of logic. For all intents and purposes, she seemed to be walking at a normal pace; it was almost delicate how she moved. But it was like the world moved _around_ her, propelling her forward at incredible speeds…kind of like the girl crawling out of the television in _The Ring_, only beautiful and delicate. And not _creepy_. Less than a few moments after she left, she came back clutching an armful of small scrolls. She held them out for Kurt, the smallest, most elegant smile on her lips. Kurt returned her smile and took one of the scrolls from her. He eagerly, yet gently unfurled the scroll and looked down at the words.

They were in Greek. Or at least, Kurt assumed it was Greek.

David read over his shoulder. "Wow. That's really pretty."

"I can't…"

David paled slightly. "Sorry. I forgot. Language barriers kind of _stop_ after death and the gods and nymphs just _know_ all languages, so there's never been a point to having anything translated. I can arrange to have her stuff translated for you though, if you want. Some of the greatest scholars of all time spend a good deal of their afterlife here and I'm sure a couple would jump at the opportunity."

Kurt handed the scroll back to the beautiful young girl. "No, that's ok. I'll just be patient like everyone else."

David stroked Kurt's hair softly. No matter what Kurt said, David would still get someone to translate it for him. "Come on. Let's go upstairs." David took Kurt's hand and led him to a set of spiral stairs next to where they had come in. Mounting the steps and going up only a few feet, Kurt looked down and discovered they were already far above everyone else; they had gone up more than two stories in a matter of a few steps. The sudden change in altitude threw Kurt off and he swayed uncertainly. David held his shoulder and steadied him. "Time and space kind of… _bend_ in the Underworld to suit your needs. It's weird; you'll get used to it."

A few steps later and they had disappeared onto the second floor. They were in a grand hall, with walls of deep mahogany and a rich, plush, red Persian rug directing them to the left and the right; there were large, cathedral-style windows at either end of the hall. Unlike the museum, this floor was far more confined, expanding only a hundred feet or so in either direction. The only door Kurt could see was directly in front of him. Technically it was two doors, in the French style, with thick, clouded glass for privacy. David opened one of the doors for Kurt, bowing deeply and sweeping his free hand towards the open door, ushering Kurt inside. Kurt stepped through and felt his chest grow heavy. It was quite obviously David's bedroom.

And it was decorated in a surprisingly tasteful manner.

And _clean_.

Kurt hadn't thought a Karofsky was capable of something this clean. Although, everything Kurt had seen of the palace so far was clean, as well. Well, it _was_ a palace. They probably had servants to take care of everything for them. Like the girl downstairs. Kurt wondered for a minute whether she were a servant, a slave, a nymph, a helpful bystander, what?

The floors were mahogany, like the walls of the hallway. The walls of the bedroom were the same. Torches were set in bronze holsters on the walls, letting off far more light than was physically possible from _torches_. Romanticism paintings were lined up so that there was one painting between each pair of torches. Each painting focused on a different type of animal: horses, dogs, cats, various other farm life and pets, both common and exotic. David's bed was California king-sized, with embroidered maroon, brown and gold arabesque patterns. It was a four-poster bed (something Kurt had believed didn't honestly exist outside of Hogwarts and his own interior decorating dreams), with matching, sheer curtains.

Kurt felt himself drawn to the _huge_ picture windows on the back and sidewalls. He went to the left-hand window first. Far off in the distance, he could see fires burning on the horizon. The only light in that area came from the fire; everything else had a heavy darkness settled over it. A large mountain stood off to the side. Kurt didn't need to ask David what lay in that direction; he knew enough about the Underworld to know Tartarus and the fields of punishment dominated the west. "So how bad do you have to be to end up there?" Feeling uncomfortable, Kurt backed away from the windows and into David's waiting arms.

"Surprisingly, not that bad. A _lot_ of people wind up there. When you come to the Underworld, the judges examine all of your crimes against man, against nature, and most importantly against the gods. Any crimes you committed, that you didn't atone for in life, you suffer for. If you kill someone, you will feel their pain and that of their friends and families for the rest of how long that person _should_ have lived. If you're a thief, you'll feel the pain of everyone who suffered because of your crime for as long as they would have drawn pleasure from the item that was stolen. Someone like me, a bully, if I were mortal, I would have felt all the pain I ever caused anyone. If you make the mistake of pissing off the gods, you suffer until every god you offended forgives you. The gods are _not_ very forgiving." David gestured towards the mountain in the distance, "Sisyphus is _still_ suffering for pissing off my mom and Thanatos. Tantalus is still there; still starving and thirsty. Hitler will be down there until the end of existence, most likely." Kurt was a bit startled by that, it was hard to think of the real world and that of myths mixing together, even though he should be used to it by now.

"What about when _I_ die?"

David nuzzled his cheek against Kurt's neck, kissing the skin softly. "You're a good person; I doubt you'll ever do anything even remotely deserving of punishment. At the same time, unless you intend to become some kind of major philanthropist or war hero, you won't go to the Elysian Fields, either. You'll go to Asphodel. It's a very calm, peaceful place. That being said, assuming you and I are still together when your time comes, you could spend your afterlife here in my parents' palace, or as a spirit in my own palace."

To Kurt, it was interesting to know, but still very depressing to think about. "Well…this is the _least_ sexy conversation I've ever had." Kurt gently pulled out of David's arms and wandered over to David's bed. He backed up against the mattress until it hit his knees and allowed himself to simply collapse. The bed was the most amazing thing he had ever laid on. "Is this memory foam?"

David shrugged. "Dunno. I don't really pay attention."

TBC…


	47. A Night in the Underworld pt 2

Kurt placed his arm under his head as a pillow and patted the bed next to him with his free hand, inviting David to join him. David smiled and hopped into bed beside Kurt, rolling onto his side so they were facing one another. "So…" Kurt felt his cheeks heat up. "What do you…what would you like to do now?" He smiled but refused to meet David's eyes. He wasn't used to _anything_ like this and was afraid he'd start giggling nervously if he caught David's eye.

David shrugged, staring at the pattern in his bedspread, suddenly fascinated by it. "I know what I'd _like_ to do. But, you know, we can do whatever."

Kurt swallowed heavily. "I would like to…do what you want to do…I mean…" Kurt's eyes flickered upwards. It was just supposed to be for a moment, it was an involuntary action, actually, but once he saw David's eyes, he couldn't look away. They weren't heated, or dilated or intense, like he had expected. They were soft and gentle. Encouraging.

David was the first to look away. "So…how do we…? I mean, don't get me wrong; I've done some research. I know _how_ it's done. I just don't know how you'd like to go about it. I've seen it done so many different ways and I know couples have to experiment to figure out what they enjoy and what works for them and neither of us has any experience whatsoever so neither of us really has any hint as to what we want and would enjoy and a lot of it still kinda confuses me, like 'top' and 'bottom'. I mean, is 'top' always the person who's physically _on top_, or is it the person who's doing the um…" David cleared his throat. "penetrating? Or maybe it's just the person who assumes psychological control of the situation. But if that's the case, what about 'bossy bottoms' and 'topping from below'?"

Kurt placed his fingertips over David's mouth to get him to stop rambling. When he realized everything that had just poured from his mouth, David paled. "We'll figure it out together. I never really thought about 'tops' and 'bottoms' before, but I know I want…" Kurt's voice got tiny, almost imperceptible, "I want you in me." A sense of relief flooded through David, instantly alleviating him of some of his tension. Kurt continued, a bit louder than before, but still a whisper, "I've heard that, with guys, especially the first time, doggy style is easiest." Kurt had been a light shade of red throughout the whole conversation, but the moment he said "doggy style" his face erupted in a violent shade of scarlet.

"No."

"No?"

"No. I know it's apropos to my domain and everything, 'doggy,' but our first time needs to be intimate. I want to be able to look you in the eyes, kiss your lips." Kurt felt himself melting inside; David was so sweet, so romantic and sentimental. "How about this?" David sat up and pulled Kurt up with him. A brief moment of manhandling later and Kurt was straddling David's lap.

Kurt pondered the possibilities. Adjusting his seat a bit, he ground his rump into his boyfriend's lap. A moment later he could tell they _definitely_ wouldn't have issues lining things up properly. Leaning forward, Kurt nuzzled into David's neck. "You have protection?"

David snorted. "I'm a _god_; there is no disease I can get that I can give you."

Kurt pulled back, sat up straight and gave Dave his best 'bitch face.' "David Karofsky, you have one _male_ uncle who has personally given birth to, not one, but _two_ children. One of which had to be cut out of his thigh and one of which had to be hacked out of his skull. You have a second uncle who sired a winged _horse_ **after **the mother was _dead_. Your own father fathered a child with _himself_. You had damn well better wrap that thing up or keep it the _hell_ away from me!" David cracked up laughing. "I have a condom with me. _I_ came prepared." Kurt twisted himself trying to fish the condom out of his pocket. David's body still wracked as laughter consumed him. "What is so funny?"

"I'm sorry." David waved his hand through the air, asking Kurt to wait a moment while he caught his breath. "My family's just so fucked up. Every last one of 'em."

Holding the condom up for David, Kurt leaned his face against David's until their noses were flushed together. "Forget about them. Tonight is about you and me, no one else." Taking the condom from Kurt, David adjusted the angle of his head so that his lips were lined up with Kurt's. They kissed for a brief moment before Kurt scooted off of David's lap and sat, very prim and proper, with his hands neatly folded in his lap on the edge of the bed. David scuttled to the head of the bed and leaned over the edge to the sideboard. Kurt watched as he opened a drawer and pulled out a tube. "You keep lubricant here?"

David nibbled his lip nervously. "Well, yeah. I have complete privacy here. Almost zero chance of someone barging in while I'm…you _know_."

Kurt smiled and did his best to sound confident. "Thinking of me?"

David returned Kurt's smile and crawled across the bed until he was next to Kurt again. "Only you. _Always_ you." David placed a hand in the small of Kurt's back and pulled him closer. Pressing his lips to Kurt's neck he began to kiss the skin. He wanted to nibble and lick (he couldn't help it; he was deeply connected to animals and occasionally channeled them), but restrained himself, uncertain how Kurt would respond.

Kurt placed his palms against David's stomach and worked them upwards, taking David's shirt with them. David had to resist the subconscious urge to tug his shirt back down; if he and Kurt were going to have sex, Kurt would have to see him naked eventually. When the hem of David's shirt was just below his arms, he raised them and allowed Kurt to pull his shirt up and over his head. "You're still wearing the fishnet?"

"Hehe, yeah. I really like the way it feels."

"I bet you do." Kurt pinched one of David's erect nipples, eliciting a tiny whimper from David. They leaned into one another sharing another kiss: this one longer and a bit wetter. Kurt pulled away from David and crossed his arms across his torso, grabbing his shirt at the sides on the bottom and pulling it off. David watched mesmerized as his boyfriend sat shirtless before him. Kurt had the most perfectly flawless skin David had ever seen. It made him feel even more insecure about his not-flat stomach; those weird not-quite-freckles/not-quite-moles that dotted his face, chest and back; the irregular smattering of hair he grew on his chest. He really wasn't looking forward to taking off the fishnet shirt and letting Kurt see all of him clearly, but Kurt was apparently eager.

Kurt pulled the black mesh over David's head in one swift motion. Other than the shirt catching on David's ear momentarily, there was no resistance; Kurt had no idea how desperately David wanted to pull his clothes back on and hide. Instead of allowing Kurt to recognize his discomfort, David buried his face against Kurt's chest and began murmuring reverent praises; "so perfect," "most beautiful man ever," "I'm the luckiest guy ever," and so one.

After a few moments of basking in the glow of David's affection, Kurt pulled away and got off the bed. He bent over David's prone form and let his finger glide across the button on David's trousers; he was still wearing the black suit pants from their costume for the competition earlier in the evening. David forced himself to 'disconnect' from his self-consciousness as Kurt worked away at his pants: unfastening the buttons, sliding down the fly, the gentle tug as Kurt pulled his pants down his legs. He had to remind himself over and over that Kurt loved him just as he was.

Kurt, meanwhile, was acting overly confident to cover up the fact that he was anything but. Undressing his lover was easy. He knew he would love David even if he were hideously deformed. But how would David feel about Kurt's appearance? Would his pale, nearly pasty, skin turn David off? What about the fact that he had surprisingly hairy legs for someone so…_effeminate_? What if David still wasn't completely comfortable with his sexuality; would seeing another man's penis disgust him? What if it wasn't guys' penises in general that disgusted him (David _did_ watch porn); but just Kurt's penis? Kurt didn't really have any experience with a penis other than his own; was it too small? Too thin? Strangely shaped or oddly colored?

David wished he'd thought to put out the flames on the torches.

Kurt wished he were under the sheets.

Before David would allow Kurt to remove his underwear, he helped Kurt out of his own pants, savoring the feel of Kurt's exquisite skin under his fingers. The soft, downy hair on Kurt's legs reminded David of kitten fur. David loved anything that reminded him of animals.

Kurt enjoyed seeing his boyfriend's exposed pecks and sturdy thighs.

They both felt self-conscious presented before the other in nothing but their underwear, so Kurt quickly whisked his underwear off and scuttled back into David's lap before David had time to process the fact that his boyfriend was naked.

Naked?

Naked!

NAKED!

NAKEDNAKEDNAKEDNAKED!

The word "naked" seemed to be playing continually on repeat in David's brain as he tried to remember what he was supposed to be doing.

Breathing…breathing would be a good start. David drew his breath in sharply and pulled Kurt closer to him. He could feel the tip of Kurt's penis graze lightly over his stomach. Nuzzling against Kurt's neck again, he could see between their bodies just enough to see that Kurt was fully erect. That was a good thing, right? It meant Kurt couldn't be completely repulsed by him, didn't it? Kurt leaned over David and grabbed his own pants off the bed where David had dropped them. Rifling through his pocket, Kurt pulled out a condom. David held up the forgotten square wrapper on the bed by his hand. "You already got one out, remember?"

Kurt tore open the corner of the little package and withdrew the little rubber circle. He grimaced at the strange feel of it. "This isn't for you." Even though it supposedly wasn't for David, Kurt placed it on David's stomach while he leaned over him again: this time to grab the tube of lubricant. A clumsy moment of fumbling later and he had the cap off and a _very_ generous amount squeezed over his fingers. Reaching behind himself, he wiped the goo off on himself somewhere David couldn't see (but could definitely guess) before recapping the tube and tossing it back next to David's hand. He picked up the condom again and rolled it over his finger. It was like rolling a sock over a pencil; the fit was completely wrong.

"Um…not to nitpick or anything, but…what are you doing?"

"I've thought a lot about this. This is our first time together; we're both complete novices, so it's probably going to be very strange and maybe even hurt a little. I trust you; but I just think it's better if I stretch myself this first time, so we know what I'm comfortable with."

"Ok…but what's with the finger condom?"

"I am _not_ shoving my finger up my butt!" Kurt shuddered at the thought and David could swear he heard a quiet little groan of disgust.

"Ok, ok." David kept silent as Kurt reached behind himself. Even though Kurt couldn't see his backside no matter how far he craned his neck, he still looked over his shoulder as he moved his hand. From his perspective, David couldn't see any of what Kurt was doing. All he could see was the slow rise and fall of his shoulder, the occasional twitch of his bicep, and the fluttering of Kurt's eyelashes as he repeatedly squeezed and relaxed his eyelids. After Kurt had finished whatever he was doing back there, Kurt brought his hand forward again and slid a second finger up inside the condom. He then returned to his activities for a few more minutes before bringing his hand forward once again and adding a third finger.

David wasn't sure how long all of this took, but eventually Kurt's look of extreme concentration softened, his jaw unclenched and little noises started coming from Kurt's throat.

Pretty little noises David had never heard before.

Sexy little noises he wanted to be the cause of.

"Ok, I think that's good." Kurt slid the condom off his fingers, making a disgusted face again as he pulled it inside out and dropped it on the floor behind himself. "Scooch up on the bed, get your underwear off, put the condom on and then put some lube on."

David smirked. He liked how take-charge Kurt was being about this. "Yes, sir." Using his palms as bracers, David pushed himself backwards on the bed until he was closer to the pillows.

"Shut up. _I'm_ the one who could get hurt here, I'm just making sure we do everything right." Even though David had followed his first order and was now reaching for the condom and lube on the bed, David's underwear remained in place. Kurt decided it was best if he _kept_ taking things into his own hands tonight and yanked them down while David was busy with the condom. He almost missed the undignified little "hey!" David squeaked out, he was so fascinated with the thing that had sprung free from David's briefs. It wasn't overwhelming, Kurt was positive he could take it if they went slow, but it was very lovely to look at. Kurt could feel heat building in his face and was afraid he was blushing, again, before he realized heat was building _everywhere_ in his body.

David had seen the possessed look on Kurt's face before. Not on Kurt, but on other animals; a cat that's spotted a bird, a snake watching a mouse, an alligator lying still beside a gazelle. Kurt was a predatory animal getting ready to strike.

And it turned David on like nothing ever had before.

He made short work of sliding the condom over himself. He squirted a healthy glob of slimy goo into his hand from the tube and pumped his slicked-up hand over his erection several times, maintaining eye contact with Kurt while he did so.

Kurt, who had been sitting on the bed in a kneeling position, sprang forward and forced his way into David's lap, grabbing his cheeks in his hands. David was momentarily worried one of them might chip a tooth with the speed Kurt launched their faces together. It was hot how desperate Kurt was. David placed his hands on Kurt's rear and tugged him forward so they were more tightly pressed together.

Kurt drew away from David and raised himself up on his knees. "Are you ready?" David nodded, mutely, rendered completely speechless by the shock and excitement of the moment and what was to come. Kurt reached behind himself and, to David's surprise, instead of touching himself again, he reached his hand down and firmly grasped David's penis. He held it in place as he slowly lowered himself back down until the head of David's penis was brushing against his entrance.

David fought every animalistic instinct and urge in his body that begged him to just start thrusting.

Kurt closed his eyes and lowered himself even more. There was a downward pressure on David's penis for a second or two until all of a sudden the tip had breached. Kurt continued to lower himself, ever so slowly, millimeter by agonizing millimeter. His eyes were firmly shut, his brow squeezed in a painful looking frown, his lips were drawn inward and clenched between his incisors. Staring at the look on Kurt's face, David completely forgot how happy his dick was right now. "If it's too much, we could always try a-"

Kurt had taken his free hand, the one not holding David's penis, and pressed it against David's mouth, effectively silencing his protest. "No. _Now_." Kurt's face was still contorted and scrunched in on itself. "I have been needing this for _so_ long. We aren't waiting any longer." David couldn't help feeling cocky about that and smiled under Kurt's hand.

Kurt had to stop and simply wait out the discomfort several times, but, after what felt like hours, he was almost shocked to feel the tickle of well-groomed pubes against his rear. Another moment later and David was fully sheathed with Kurt straddling his lap. Kurt sat there, waiting for everything to adjust, and experimentally clenched several times.

Once again, David had to beat down the urge to just _take_ Kurt, then and there.

His patience was rewarded as Kurt slowly raised himself up on his knees again, just an inch or two, and then lowered himself, a bit more quickly than he had the first time. David placed his hands on Kurt's hips, not to guide him or urge him to go faster, but to steady him. Kurt's expression dissolved into a much more peaceful and serene one; the corners of his lips even crooked into the tiniest of smiles. Kurt rocked his hips forward and backwards, side to side, gently, testing out different things. Raising himself up again until David was almost completely out of him, he lowered himself quickly so that they could both actually hear the sound of Kurt's flesh coming in contact with David's.

After that, the floodgates seemed to burst open. Kurt raised himself up and then dropped back down like a piston designed for this kind of work. Once David was positive Kurt wasn't in any pain and could handle it, he used his grip on Kurt's hips to get even faster and deeper penetration. Kurt's jaw fell slack and throaty moans seems to literally spill out of his throat. David began pumping his hips upward to meet Kurt's thrusts and that's when David discovered something he considered totally awesome.

Kurt was a screamer.

"Ugh. Ugh. Ugh. UGH! AH! Oh god, oh yes. Right there. Ugh. Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck….Oh god. Love you. Yes. UGH! AH." Kurt was like his own personal cheerleader. The louder Kurt got, the faster and harder David thrust. "Fuck, yes. Fuck, fuck, fuck. Please. Oh, fuck me. AGH! Come on, right there. Ugh."

David wasn't an idiot; he'd played team sports long enough to tell when someone's muscles were ready to give out. Kurt's calves had to be burning from all the exercise they were doing. Wrapping his arms around Kurt's waist, David held Kurt in a tight hug and rolled him backwards so David was lying on top of Kurt. Still deeply embedded in Kurt, David placed his hands behind Kurt's thigh and lifted them up so he could get a better angle. Kurt instantly latched his legs around David's waist and locked his ankles together.

It was then Kurt truly learned what it meant to be 'plowed into the mattress.' "Holy shit! Yes, right there. Oh god, oh fuck, fuck yes." Kurt was starting to have trouble catching his breath. His body felt like it was on fire. It felt like there was something inside him trying to force its way out: a pressure that kept building like the water behind a damn.

No: the magma inside a volcano.

That was it. He was a volcano and he was ready to erupt. "Oh, god. Oh, David. I'm gonna…oh god. I'm gonna..."

"Come on. Come for me."

Something inside Kurt let loose; it exploded with the intensity of a nuclear bomb. As Kurt's cum splattered across David's abdomen, Kurt let out his final scream of the night.

"_**ZAGREUS!"**_

The sound of his name, his _real_ name, coming from those perfect lips sent David over the edge. He let the animal in him take over and rutted Kurt like a beast in heat until his own climax came.

The intensity was such that David had trouble seeing straight as he collapsed on top of his boyfriend.


	48. A Night in the Underworld pt 3

Spooning with David was one of the most natural and comfortable things Kurt had ever done. Their bodies folded together perfectly: Kurt's head fit perfectly wedged under David's chin, David's chest aligned with Kurt's back perfectly, David's bent knees pressed tightly against the back of Kurt's bent knees. So nice. So wonderful.

But boring.

Cuddling was nice and sweet, but it was supposed to be a transition into sleep. It had to be at least two or three in the morning by now, they'd left the party at midnight, but sleep just would _not_ come. Kurt kept his voice low, not wanting to wake David if he'd managed to doze off. "Are you asleep?"

A light snortle of laughter came from behind him. "No. Sleep isn't really _natural_ in the Underworld. It takes years to get the hang of actually falling asleep down here."

"So why do you have a bed?" Kurt rolled over so that his face was pressed against David's chest. His skin was warm and his chest fur was rough against his cheek.

"I _think_ we just answered that one." Kurt blushed. After everything they'd just been through, he was _still_ embarrassed by sex? "Besides, a bedroom without a bed would just look weird. If you want, we can go explore a little more."

Kurt sat up and stretched, flexing his arms up and then straight out behind him. "I'd like that." Kurt and David got up and changed with their backs to one another. It was strange to feel so awkward and exposed in front of someone you loved so much; especially after everything they had just engaged in not half an hour ago. When Kurt had finished changing, he coyly peeked over his shoulder to see if David was done. David was already fully dressed and stood there watching Kurt. "Were you staring at my ass?"

David lightly and playfully slapped Kurt's butt with the flat of his hand. "My ass, now." He should have felt annoyed at that, but surprisingly he didn't. He liked the idea of being David's. And David being his. A possessive David was adorable and sexy. "Come on, let's go. I'm not going to lie, I had an ulterior motive in bringing you here tonight."

"Really? My interest has been piqued." Kurt slid his hand into David's and allowed David to steer him back into the hall, down the stairs and back to his parents' throne room. Rather than continuing straight, back down the path that had started their trip through the palace, they took a right behind the two thrones and continued along the wall, passed the wading pool and out towards a side door, that was nothing more than a door shaped hole in the wall that led into a lush orchard.

As simple as the orchard was, it was even more beautiful than the throne room. It wasn't just an apple orchard, or an orange orchard, or a pear orchard. It was like someone had just had fun with a Farmville farm and splattered the orchard with every fruit-bearing plant imaginable. Many of the fruits Kurt couldn't even recognize. Spaced between the trees were smaller fruit-bearing bushes; raspberry, blueberries, blackcurrants. Between the bushes were other fruit plants: tomatoes, grapes, strawberries, cranberries. It was a vegetarian's wet dream.

The path that divided the orchard in half widened out into a large circle before becoming a straight path on the other side again. In the center of the circle was a strange bush Kurt had never seen before. It had thin, pointy green leaves and bright red oblong berries of some kind growing on it. They looked like little drops of blood they were so bright and intense. "What's that?"

"A pomegranate bush. It just grows the seeds: all of the taste, none of the work. It was a birthday gift from my grandmother to my mom." David kept following the path to the left of the bush. Kurt followed behind him but stopped next to the bush while David kept walking. It was so beautiful and pomegranates were so delicious. If it weren't for how much work they were, how expensive they were and how short the season for them in Ohio was, he'd eat them all the time. He reached into the bush and grabbed a few of the ripe, pudgy seeds. As he was about to pop the handful into his mouth, something shot out from his peripheral vision and latched onto his wrist. He was so startled that he dropped all of the seeds onto the path and into the dirt. Looking up, Kurt saw David, his fist squeezing tightly around Kurt's wrist. "What the hell are you _doing_?" There was a scary intensity in David's eyes. Kurt hadn't ever seen that expression on his face before.

"You're hurting me."

David's expression immediately softened into one of concern and he released Kurt from his grasp. "You can't _do_ that, Kurt."

"I…I didn't think anyone would mind."

David shook his head sadly. "Kurt, _think_ about where you are. If you had eaten those…" Kurt furrowed his brow and pondered that for a moment. He had completely forgotten: _the myth of Persephone_. If he had eaten those berries he would have been trapped here! "I'm so sorry. I should have reminded you. You can't eat or drink anything here." Kurt felt like he'd almost been hit by a car…_again_. That had been such a close call. "I want to keep you forever, but not like _that_." Kurt shook his head, agreeing with him. He was in a bit of shock. Thankfully, David pulled him out of his shock by taking his hand and steering him away from the temptation.

Once the bush was several hundred feet behind them, the path opened up again, this time leading out of the orchards and onto a long flat plain. The path led through the plain and met up with another path that travelled beside the left half of the orchard and off into the distance. People of all ages travelled silently along the pathway. They were all headed in the same direction: towards the palace. Something seemed vaguely familiar about this place, like the memory of a dream. The closer they got to the path, the more something pulled at the back of Kurt's mind. "I've been here before."

"What?"

"Well, not _here_ exactly. But close." As the two paths merged, Kurt could get a better look at the people they passed. They ignored everyone around them, simply continuing on towards their destination. They all had completely blank, slightly foggy expressions. "The Elysian Fields are behind us right? Beyond the palace?" David nodded. "If we keep following this path, we'll come to the judges. They sit at a large wooden desk." Kurt closed his eyes to allow the memories to come back to him more clearly. The guy on the left has light reddish hair, almost strawberry blond, and a beard – they all have beards – and he wears _way_ too many rings. The other two guys have darker hair, one brunette and one a deep, dirty blond. If you keep going passed them, in the straight line we're following right now, you'll come to the fields of punishment and Tartarus, of course. But if you turn left at their desk, the way they're facing, you'll continue along a different path to Cerberus. He looks like a Great Dane, except with three heads. After him, you'll come to the water with the ferry and Charon." His memories painted the picture for him, but some of the details, names, he pulled from what he'd learned of Greek mythology. "Charon pilots a long, wide, flat ferry…like a car ferry, almost."

Kurt looked up to gauge David's reaction. David looked completely shocked. "That isn't possible. _No one_ comes to the Underworld and _leaves_. I mean, it's such a huge feat that it's considered a heroic endeavor; Hercules did it, Odysseus, Orpheus. These people had _stories_ told about them for hundreds – thousands – of years because what they did was such a big deal."

"I think I died." Kurt's voice was so low, David wasn't certain he heard him.

"What?"

"Over the summer, I was hit by a pickup truck. I didn't break any bones, but I got a concussion. While I was out, I came here. But a voice said something…I don't really remember. The reddish blond judge pointed at me and was about to send me off – I don't know where – when everything stopped and a voice said something and I woke up in the back of an ambulance."

David swallowed thickly and thought that over. That was impossible. No one ever _visited_ the Underworld and the dead were almost never allowed to return to the land of the living. "Thanatos. Thanatos must have been trying to freak you out. He likes to mess with people. He must have given you vision or something. If he knew you're a friend of mine…Thanatos doesn't like mortals. He's the only Underworld god that actually _enjoys_ his work. He was probably trying to freak you out or something."

Kurt hugged his arms over his chest and stared at the marble path they followed. "It worked."

"How come you didn't say anything?"

Kurt shrugged. "I didn't want to think about it. It wasn't really _scary_, but it was strange. I didn't like it."

"The transition between life and death is _very_ disconcerting." David gestured towards the spirits they were passing by. "That's why they're kept numb to everything until they reach their final destination." David suddenly turned left and strayed from the path. "Come on; no point in showing you stuff you've already seen. There's something else I want you to see."

After only a few minutes of walking, Kurt and David suddenly came upon people milling about, some were talking, some were reading books borrowed from the museum, some were relaxing. Everyone had a different way of passing time in death. It looked _boring_ to Kurt. The one thing that _was_ interesting was the way they moved. It was like that girl they'd seen at the museum; everyone moved at unnatural, disjointed speeds. "Why does everyone move so strangely?"

"Time and space are relative in the Underworld. Kind of like when we were going upstairs to my room or downstairs earlier. Everything moves in relation to what you're trying to accomplish. The Underworld is _huge_; at the moment it's probably ten times larger than Earth, but you can be just about anywhere you want in it within a few minutes. It's like if you were trying to walk across a sheet of paper; rather than traveling the whole sheet, fold it in half so that the two sides meet."

Kurt looked around and watched the scenery as they continued to walk . "Like warp speed."

"Like…? God, I love you so much. You could be an epic nerd if you weren't so concerned with how people see you."

Kurt shoved David playfully. "Don't call me a _nerd_!"

"It's not an _insult_. Nerds are hot." Kurt smiled and squeezed David's hand.

Kurt assumed that they were traveling through what was known as the Asphodel Shores…even though he couldn't see any water. The Asphodel Shores were where normal people went when they died. The vast majority of people wound up here in the end. The scenery varied as they travelled throughout the final home of countless millions of people – and animals apparently. Some of it was open plains, like the one they had been in before, but there were also fields, meadows, forests, gardens, rivers, streams, hills, mountains, deserts, even tundras. Every imaginable natural setting you could possibly ask for. They came upon a large grove of trees that reminded Kurt of the California Redwood Forest. Sitting on a smooth stone below the base of one of the trees was a young woman reading a book. She was about thirty, with long, smooth brown hair, pale skin, long delicate fingers and a tiny content smirk on her face as she read. She was the most beautiful woman Kurt had ever seen. The most beautiful _sight_ he had ever seen.

"Mom?"

Elizabeth Hummel lowered her book and looked up at her son. Kurt could barely restrain himself from gushing tears, but his mother looked perfectly composed. She recognized her son's distress though and, in one fluid movement, stood up and pulled Kurt into a hug. "Oh, my baby. Hush. It's ok. It's all right."

Even as his mother rocked him back and forth in her arms, the tears started flowing freely. "I've missed you so much."

"I've missed you, too." It took Elizabeth a while to get Kurt to stop crying and calm down enough to actually talk to her. Meanwhile, she guided him back over to her little rock and sat down beside him, cradling him in her arms. When Kurt's sniffles had died down enough for him to hear his mother she started talking to him soothingly and comfortingly. "It's all right, Kurt. I'm happy here. There's no pain, no sadness, no loneliness. Bad things don't exist in Asphodel."

"It's been so long. I've missed you so much."

"Time is different here. It feels like I've only been here a few weeks." Elizabeth ran her fingers through Kurt's hair, stroking him like she did when he was a baby.

Kurt sat up and looked his mother in the eye. He had something to tell her that he had wanted to tell her for years. Had she lived, she would have been the first person he ever talked about it with. "Mom, I'm not really sure how you'll respond, but…I…I'm…"

"Gay? Sweety, I know. And I still love you."

Kurt felt like a heavy stone had been lifted off his chest. It was like when his father had told him he knew. "Dad said he already knew. Did you figure it out because of the whole 'sensible heels' things?"

Elizabeth smiled warmly at her baby boy. "It was a nice little hint, but I gave you the benefit of the doubt. Your dad was pretty convinced, but I just reminded myself that every little boy is different."

"So then how did you _know_?"

"Well, while the fact that your toddler wants heels for his birthday _is _a nice little hint, the son of Hades introducing himself to you as your son's boyfriend is a bit of a _better_ hint."

Kurt turned to look at David; he'd completely forgotten about him. David had his hands buried in his pant's pockets and had his lips pursed to the side in a smug little smile. "You two have met before?"

David shrugged, so his mother answered for him. "He came a few days ago. He told me that the two of you were dating and that you had done so much for him that he wanted to do something nice for you." Elizabeth leaned closer to Kurt's ear and whispered loud enough for David to hear, "I approve. He's adorable."

"He is isn't he?"

"And he has a _gorgeous_ tush." Both Kurt and him mother laughed as David blushed and looked down to stare at his shoes uncomfortably. Kurt had missed this: laughing with his mother as they chatted about boys. He didn't think it was possible to miss something you had never known, but apparently he did. "How's your dad doing?"

Kurt wasn't sure how much detail he should go into. How would his mother react? Would Carol be perceived as an interloper? An intruder? "Dad's really good; he still has the garage. He had a heart attack last year, but the doctors say he's doing better than he has in years."

"That's good. I miss him, but I'm not anxious for him to leave behind his life. Has…does he date? Does he have anyone?" Elizabeth looked nervous: like she was afraid of the answer.

"Um. When I was a sophomore, I introduced him to the mother of a classmate. They were together for a while but broke up because her son and me had a bit of a falling out. After his heart attack though, he decided life was too short and, well, they're married now."

His mother seemed to instantly relax all the tension that had gathered in her face. She looked…relieved? "I'm so happy for him. I was terrified he'd never find someone, again. You know it took him three _years_ to get up the nerve to ask me out?"

"You were a stunning cheerleader. He figured he was just a dumb grease monkey."

"Oh, you have no idea, do you?" Kurt shook his head. Everything he knew about his dad's youth came from the horse's mouth. "Your father was Lima's most eligible bachelor. He was popular, he was a jock, he had a _future_; not many guys in Lima can say that. He was cute, he was _funny_."

"Dad was _cute_?"

Elizabeth let out a laugh that sounded eerily like the ones David had heard from his boyfriend. "The _cutest_. He was a complete teddy bear. Kind of like your hunk." Elizabeth nodded her chin towards David.

"Oh, god. Please don't grow up to look like my dad."

David rolled his eyes. "Not likely. Besides, starting Wednesday I'll be able to make myself look like whoever or whatever I want."

The hours seemed to melt away as Kurt got to know his mother and Elizabeth learned all about her baby boy. Kurt was happy to realize that the rose tinted glasses he had always viewed his mother through weren't misleading; if anything, she was more wonderful than he remembered because there was so much he could _relate_ to. She was a singer and had been involved in dance and theatre when she was a teen. She loved good literature and had a keen (if not a bit outdated) eye for fashion. Elizabeth in turn was pleased to learn her son had grown into a sensible, responsible, intelligent young man. She couldn't be more proud of him.

Kurt would have been happy to spend the rest of his life here, just talking to his mother and enjoying her company. But of course all things, good and bad, must come to an end. Before he knew it, he was hugging his mother goodbye while David promised he would take him here to visit her again. Kurt was even more in love with David as they returned to the palace.

David could teleport _to_ his parents' palace from anywhere on Earth, but he'd always appear in the throne room and he could only teleport out from the throne room and always back to where he'd originally teleported from. "What's going to happen once my father and Carol die?"

"What do you mean? They'll come here." David gestured around them, indicating the Asphodel shores.

"Yes, but my father will be married to _both_ Carol and my mom. Won't things be awkward between the three of them?"

David shrugged. "Not really. Aphrodite, Eros, Hedone and the other erotic love gods have no domain over the dead. They don't feel sexual love, so there's nothing for any of them to really get jealous over. And like your mom said, there's nothing "bad" in Asphodel. Nothing bad exists there. The three of them will be good friends."

Kurt smiled; it was good to know. He loved Carol, but he'd always favor his own mother over her and didn't want there to be any hard feelings. With that matter settled they continued the short journey back to the path before another question struck Kurt. "If the dead don't know sexual love…what about when I die? It'll be hard to be your lover if I don't _feel_ that way."

David was quiet as he turned that over in his head. "I hadn't really thought of that." He licked his lips as he continued to think. "We have years ahead of us to figure it out. Don't worry; we'll think of something. Meanwhile, we have a party to get to."


	49. It's My Party

They teleported back to where they had originally come; David's front driveway. It was quite obviously morning now. Despite the trees lining the front yard, they were completely exposed to any traffic or pedestrians on the street. "Why didn't we go inside before traveling to the Underworld last night? That way we wouldn't risk anyone spotting us teleporting back."

David sat silent in the seat next to Kurt, staring out the front windshield. "I didn't think of that." Kurt smiled fondly at David; he was so adorably naïve sometimes. Common sense was not his forte. David and Kurt exited the vehicle and went inside the house. The living room was already full of guests. Finn and the other guys from glee club hadn't arrived yet, so at least Kurt knew David wasn't late for his own party.

Paul sat on the couch that faced the television, even though he himself was facing a lovely couple occupying the love seat. The female half of the couple had straight, dark brown, almost black, hair and a warm glowing tan. She wore very straight-laced attire that reminded Kurt of a young, upwardly mobile professional. Her boyfriend (husband? lover?) had a much more laid-back appearance. He had shoulder-length, curly blond hair and a Southern California look to him: unbuttoned beach shirt with blue undershirt and tan board shorts.

Across from the cute couple was Adonis; Kurt would be hard pressed to ever forget what he looked like. On the arm of the chair next to Adonis was a young girl as beautiful as Adonis was handsome. She had a cherubic face: not chubby, but not emaciated either. Her face was made all the more inviting by her warm, chocolaty-brown eyes and flirty little goddess curls that framed her face perfectly. In the doorway to the kitchen was a very sturdy gentleman, with broad shoulders, a well-built chest, and an angular jaw. He had intense, dark eyes that would have been pleasant if his gaze hadn't been so hard. Behind him, Kurt could see Sophie and Demetria bustling about in the kitchen.

Sophie's rainforest had been cleared out of the living room to accommodate the guests. The smell of bacon and sausage sizzling in the kitchen replaced the typical smell of exotic flowers. Disney's _Hercules_ was playing on the television.

"You're watching this, _again,_ Paul?"

Paul turned to face his son and son's boyfriend. "Where have you two been?"

"The Underworld." David glanced over to Kurt to answer Kurt's question. "Dad watches this movie at least three times a month."

"_David_, you need to _ask_ before you do things like that." Paul's voice was stern, but as an authority figure, he was hard to take serious.

"Sorry. I just wanted to spend some time with Kurt." David looped his arm around Kurt's elbow, using the touch to pull him closer to his side.

David was being very _frank_ about visiting the Underworld. That meant these people all either _knew_ he was a god or were gods themselves., so Kurt let his guard down. "You don't find Hades' portrayal rather insulting?"

Several of the assembled guests chuckled. They obviously knew something Kurt didn't. The handsome blond man sitting with his girlfriend spoke up. "Paul likes to pretend he's something of a badass. Much like your boy-toy."

Paul raised up a mimosa and tipped it towards the young man. "Doesn't get more badass than James Woods. I couldn't have asked for anyone better to voice me."

"I dunno, Paul." It was Adonis speaking now. "Ralph Fiennes played you in the re-make of _Clash of the Titans_. It's hard to beat Voldemort, Amon Goeth, and the Great Red Dragon all rolled into one on the bad-assery scale."

Paul thought that over, rolling his head from side to side as he considered that. "I _do _love _Harry Potter_ and _Schindler's List; _however, _Clash of the Titans_ was horrible, as was _Red Dragon_."

The man-wall by the kitchen door shook his head bemusedly. "There is _no_ accounting for taste with some people."

"What about _Percy Jackson_?" Kurt shocked himself by speaking. He hadn't meant to join in the conversation. These people were by and large complete strangers to him. After his initial question, he had intended to just listen in and get a feel for his fellow company. But now that he had spoken, he couldn't simply stop himself from talking. "I don't know who he was, but the actor that played you in that was pretty cool."

Paul was making a "slicing" gesture over his throat, occasionally looking panicked over his shoulder towards the kitchen. Kurt felt confused. What was wrong with Percy Jackson? Aside from how horribly Disney had butchered the original book. David was kind enough to fill him in, "We don't talk about that movie in this household."

"But, why?"

"Because I don't appreciate being portrayed as a rape victim who will sleep with anyone or anything to compensate for a loveless marriage." Sophie came from the kitchen with a tray of mimosas, bloody Mary's, a pitcher of orange juice and a teapot. Demi followed behind with clear glasses and demitasse glasses. "It's all right, though. You couldn't have known my aversion. Has David been a good host and introduced you to everyone?"

David ran his hand behind his neck to avoid looking his mother in the eye. "I was getting there...Kurt, you know my mom, dad and nana. You also know Adonis. Dad, you and I will be talking about _that_ one later. The sex-bomb next to Adonis, _Donny_, is Hedone."

"I go by Helen among mortals."

Kurt smiled at her by way of greeting. "David's told me all about you. It's nice to finally meet you."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, as well. You two are welcome, by the way." Kurt cocked his head to the side and let out a questioning little 'hmm?' sound. "Think of who I am and what I do; you'll figure it out eventually."

David paled and cleared his throat. "The…the uh, the two love-birds are Eros and Psyche: Aaron and Sarah. And that ray of sunshine," David nodded towards the hulk towering in the doorway, "is Pelops."

Pelops was nice enough to come towards Kurt and extend his hand in greeting. "It's _Leo_ this century." Kurt took his hand and shook it.

"Everybody, this is Kurt, my boyfriend." The assembled gods all smiled, waved and offered various other greetings. Kurt was pleased to find he knew who most of them were; Eros was the male god of love, his wife Psyche was the goddess of the soul, Adonis, of course, was the male god of beauty, and Hedone was the goddess of sexual pleasure…_Oh, __**that's**__ why she said 'you're welcome_.' Kurt blanched with embarrassment at the revelation; she obviously knew what he and David had done last night. He couldn't say he recognized Pelops' name, however.

"Aw, how cute. Davey's finally taken himself a mortal lover." Pelops had a rather nasty, condescending smile in Kurt's opinion. As though Kurt were nothing more than a foolish child who had done something "cute."

"He's much more than that to me. He's my boyfriend." David looked fondly at Kurt. "I hope to spend a good long time with him."

Pelops snorted. He leaned in close to Kurt and stage whispered, "Don't they always say that?" With that, Pelops returned to his post by the door.

Sophie had already returned to the kitchen, having placed the drink platter on the coffee table. Demeter, who had been passing out glasses, squeezed Pelops' chin affectionately as she returned to the kitchen. "Play nice." Demeter used her hold on his chin to pull him into a kiss and continued to the kitchen. From the kitchen, Kurt could hear Demeter yell out "Breakfast in five!"

Unhooking his arm from Kurt's, David turned to face Kurt. "Why don't you go hang out with my mom and grandma? I know how much you like cooking. I have to talk to my dad for a few minutes."

Kurt nodded. "All right."

xoxoxo

"Ignore Pelops Kurt; he's just jealous." Kurt was 'helping' Sophie with some omelets. Really, he was just eating some of the raw ingredients; bell peppers, cherry tomatoes, and other fillings. The raw vegetables were some of the most luscious foods he'd ever tasted. Considering who _grew_ them though, he couldn't really claim to be surprised. Hedone sat on the counter by the stove and was overseeing the construction of blueberry, strawberry, and chocolate pancakes.

"Is he…gay?"

"No…well, not _really_. If anything, I'd say he's bisexual, even though the thought of being with a man physically disgusts him." Kurt couldn't begin to describe his confusion. "Pelops has a… _complicated_ story. His father was one of Zeus's mortal children, Tantalus." Kurt recognized the name; he was one of the criminals in the Fields of Punishment, condemned to ever be starving and parched as he stood in a pool of water that receded every time he bent to drink with a grapevine over head forever just out of reach. "The gods all loved Tantalus. He was handsome, charming, and intelligent. He was always welcome to feasts on Olympus. But he wasn't a god. He thought he should be, so he stole nectar and ambrosia. Zeus caught him though and they fell into odds with one another. Tantalus missed his special treatment so he decided to make it up to his father. He decided to host a feast for the gods, serving up the greatest sacrifice he could think of: his first-born son. He murdered Pelops, chopped him up and served him to the gods. Demi was the only one who ate, however. The rest of the gods realized something wasn't quite right."

"She was distraught over losing me. She wasn't paying attention." Sophie was on the other side of the stove, poking at sausages that slowly sizzled on the burner. Sophie's mother wasn't in the kitchen at the moment. She'd gone out back to make sure all the pets were fed, watered and exercised.

"The gods sentenced Tantalus to the Fields of Punishment. Pelops was one of the only mortals…honestly, the only one I can think of, that Hades brought back to life. It's an abomination to reverse death; setting that kind of precedent would mess everything up. But the gods didn't care, they all abhorred what Tantalus had done to his son. Hephaestus replaced the part of Pelops that Demi had eaten: his shoulder. He was still pretty young and the gods adored him, so Poseidon decided to take him in, first as a child, then a lover."

"Poseidon is bi-sexual?"

"Pedophile. There's a difference." Hedone nodded at Sophie's appraisal of her uncle/brother-in-law. "The second Pelops started growing facial hair Poseidon wanted nothing to do with him."

"Pelops never forgave Poseidon for tossing him aside like that. He's a bit jaded."

"If his father was mortal, how come he's a god?" Kurt hadn't even had "breakfast" yet and he was already close to full from all the omelet stuffings he'd eaten.

"Because he was loved by all the gods…all the gods that matter that is. You may have noticed that Demeter has a bit of a thing for him?"

It was Sophie's turn to nod in agreement. "Her little wounded bird. She denies it, but I _know_ they've been sleeping together for centuries now. He's just a _minor_ god, though."

"Very minor." Hedone interjected.

"He helps Hades oversee some things in the Underworld, makes sure shades don't try straying from their eternal homes, keeps order when people bring petitions to the palace, whatever. He's like an Underworld traffic warden." Kurt scoffed and almost choked on a pepper seed.

xoxoxo

Paul began picking through David's birthday presents that were spread out neatly across his bed. They were in David's parents' room and, despite the proximity to potential eavesdroppers, it took all of David's restraint not to yell at his father. "What the _hell_ did you do to Kurt?" Paul didn't respond. "He's _been_ to the Underworld before. _How_ has Kurt been to the Underworld before?"

Paul sighed. "I'd really hoped you wouldn't find out. Kurt…he was supposed to die. The Fates had set the time, the method; Thanatos harvested his soul; Charon escorted him across Acheron and Styx. He was almost judged. I put a stop to it the minute I found out. I couldn't _let_ him die. Not after everything you'd done to him. I blamed myself; I _owed_ him. I don't like owing people."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"The fewer people who knew, the better. I'd hoped Kurt wouldn't even remember. What I did…If other gods found out…Especially now that he's your _boyfriend_." Paul seemed to be talking to himself, not to David.

"But why?"

"How many gods have lost lovers to death? They would hate me for favoring Kurt, and _you_, over everyone else, including my own morals. They would take their anger and resentment out on Kurt. A _mortal_ that has enemies among the _gods_ is in for a short, miserable life." David sat down on the edge of his father's bed. The bed shifted as his father sat beside him and he could feel his father's hand running soothingly up and down his back. "None of the gods have any reason to know Kurt was supposed to die. The Fates would know, but then again they would have known I was going to bring him back and they know how and when he'll die, anyway. They won't interfere. Thanatos has no reason to check back on him; as far as he knows, Kurt's still safely tucked away somewhere in the Underworld."

They sat in silence for a while, Paul trying to think of everything he could to reassure his son, David trying to gauge his own feelings towards this revelation. He was elated to know Kurt wasn't dead, but, at the same time, if anyone found out, he'd have gods gunning for him. "Is that why you didn't want us dating?"

Paul nodded before he realized David wasn't looking at him and probably didn't see. "The more deeply Kurt gets involved in our world, the more likely it is a god would realize something isn't right about him. Your grandmother knows; she read his gifts."

David licked his lips; this wasn't as _horrible_ as he initially thought. "Yeah, but reading gifts is a really _specialized _ability to learn. It's like exotic flowers; you can only really know them if you've seen them before, and how many other mortals have you resurrected? People won't recognize the gift if they see it."

Paul shook his head. "Even still, you have to be careful. If you've ever seen a gift from a particular god before, you can recognize who a gift is _from_ even if you don't know what it does. If someone sees a gift from me that they've never seen before, they might start asking questions…questions I can't answer."

"Will Kurt be ok?"

"Only the Fates can answer that."

xoxoxo

Sarah and Aaron had gone in as a couple and gotten David two gift cards to a restaurant Kurt recognized as being fairly high-class. The way Sarah winked at him made it obvious the second gift card was intended for Kurt. Pelops (sorry, _Leo)_ had gotten him an autographed Cowboys football; from what Kurt could see it looked like the entire team had signed it. Hedone (Helen) had gotten him a gift as well, but insisted he open it when he was alone. Adonis smiled devilishly at Kurt and David in turn when Hedone had said that. Donny had gotten David some very nice clothes that definitely received the Kurt-seal-of-approval.

Puck got David a mix CD and some guitar sheet music. David could play to some pathetically small degree, but Puck and Artie were helping him foster what little talent he had. Artie had gotten David some large graphic novels. Kurt recognized one of the titles: _V for Vendetta_. He'd seen the movie and appreciated the political statements it made, even though he didn't care too much for comics. Finn got David an iTunes gift card (prompting a smack upside the head from Kurt; seriously, how cheap could his step-brother get?), while Mike got David some classes at a dance studio he worked at. David really enjoyed dancing and was very appreciative of the gift.

Strando and Azimio had gone in together on a gift for David. They claimed that they wanted to recruit him back into the land of "cool." As David tore open the box he revealed a large plastic dragon. "Holy crap, cool maquette!" Kurt felt rather proud of David; it was the closest thing to actual French he'd ever heard his boyfriend pronounce correctly.

"That ain't all, check out what else is in there."

David reached down into the box and pulled out a large black book. "Holy crap, you guys didn't." He reached back into the box a third time and came back up with a black box with a diamond shape in the center. The diamond shape was formed by distorting the wings and body of a dragon. "I have heard _so_ fucking much about this game!"

Kurt had seen it somewhere before. "Don't you have this game, Finn?"

"Hell, yeah. Best game _ever_."

Kurt wasn't too certain about that. He'd be the first to admit he never really saw the appeal of video games, but from the limited amount he'd seen of this game, it looked particularly boring. "Every time I see you playing, you're either catching butterflies or picking flowers. It's like _My Little Pony_ for boys."

"Hey! Don't talk shit about MLP." Kurt was shocked to realize that it was _Azimio_ coming to the defense of a cartoon made for little girls.

As he gave Azimio his best 'you're joking, right?' expression, Aaron tapped Azimio on the shoulder. "Bro-hoof." The two man-boys then pounded their fists together while Kurt shook his head.

"Hey, I just realized something." Azimio pointed to Kurt and David, "Fluttershy and Rarity are dating."

Strando started laughing at that. "Holy crap, you're right! Dave even has his own Angel Bunny."

"All right, boys. Stop teasing them. Kurt why don't you give David _your_ present?" Kurt wanted to thank Demeter for shutting up Aaron, Azimio and Strando; instead, he picked up his own present from where it was seated next to him. He had had the foresight to stash it in his car before he had gone to school on Friday.

David gratefully took the paper party bag from Kurt and pulled off the tissue paper from the top. Kurt felt the need to explain before David saw the whole thing, so that he didn't get the wrong idea. "I found a company online that sells the leather from cows that have been killed in a _humane_ manner. I bought a few yards of it and made this for you."

David pulled out the jacket and unfolded it in his lap. Finding the shoulders, he held it up for everyone to see. "You _made_ this?" Kurt nodded. "This is incredible. I mean, I _know_ you're talented, I just didn't realize _how_ talented."

"Put it on!" Sophie sounded so eager; you'd think it was _her_ party.

David stood up and pulled the sleeves on one at a time; adjusting the lapels and shaking out his wrists, he tested the fit. "When did you take my measurements?" Kurt smiled coyly and declined to answer. "Did you _steal_ one of my suits or something?" David turned around, his arms held out away from his sides, showing it off for everyone at the party. Everything fell perfectly on David, complementing his build and camouflaging some of the features David wasn't too pleased with. The one drawback was that the long cut, falling down to his knees, hid his shapely bum.

"You know, David. That goes _very_ nicely with my present."

Demetria held up a perfectly square box in traditional brown butcher-paper wrapping, tied up with string. David, still wearing his leather jacket, ripped into his grandmother's gift. As he opened the box, his enthusiasm seemed to abate a bit. David pulled her gift out of the box to reveal a helmet. It was a very nice helmet; it was a black helmet with thin blue streaks in the paint that looked like fur. "Thanks…grandma." David tried his best to sound pleased, but his acting was horrible.

Demeter, either in denial about David's disappointment or privy to a bit of dramatic irony (Kurt knew it to be the latter) let out a throaty laugh. "All right, don't look so thrilled, David. Sophie, Paul, why don't you show him _your_ present before I get demoted from favorite nana to least favorite nana?"

David looked confusedly between his parents. Paul smiled conspiratorially with his wife and sister/mother-in-law. "Come on, David. I wasn't going to bring it inside; your mother would kill me." David's eyes started growing comically large; by now, it was apparent to everyone present what his parents' gift was. The teenaged guys all pushed and shoved as they ran towards the front door. "Backyard, David!" There was a sudden change in direction that precipitated Puck tripping over one of Artie's rear wheels. Kurt got up from his place on the floor, straightened out his pants, dusted off his rear and followed after the wild horde of humanoid primates.

By the time Kurt met up with the others, Sophie, Paul and the other gods close behind, the boys were all drooling over David's new bike. It was a really nice bike, Kurt had to admit. "Nice Fazer."

Azimio frowned distastefully at him. "How the hell do _you_ know what type of bike this is?"

Kurt stared at the nails on his left hand as he held his free arm across his chest, affecting an air of disinterested arrogance. "What? _This_ bike? You mean David's new Yamaha Fazer with a four-stroke, single cylinder, overhead camshaft engine in midnight black? _This_ bike with five-speed manual shifting, telescopic suspension in the front and seven-step adjustable monocross suspension in the rear? _This_ bike right here? I dunno. Might have _something_ to do with the fact that I've been working in a garage since I was old enough to hand my father a crescent wrench when he asked. Besides, there's a very good reason that the blue stitching in David's new jacket perfectly matches the blue streaking on David's bike."

"You knew?" Kurt nodded at David's look of disbelief. "And you didn't say anything?"

Kurt shrugged. "I'm very good at keeping secrets. Your dad asked my opinion on which bike you'd like the best, since I know my bikes pretty well and your grandmother consulted me on the paint job." Kurt declined to mention Sophie's absence in all of the decision making process; today was the first time Kurt had seen her since she and David started talking again.

"You guys are all the best. This is the best birthday ever."


	50. And I'll Cry If I Want To

To David

6:35am

**Good morning handsome! Have we begun abusing our new "privileges" yet?**

To David

7:15am

**Please don't tell me you're still asleep. I would NEVER be able to sleep on such a big day!**

To David

9:42am

**Are you skipping school today to play with your new "birthday presents?"**

To David

11:09am

**Are you mad at me?**

To David

12:16pm

**Did I do something wrong? Please say something**

To David

12:34pm

**Was it because of how pushy I've been the past few days?**

To David

12:35pm

**It is, isn't it? I'm so sorry. If I'm pushing you too far or too fast just SAY something**

To David

1:08pm

**Please say something?**

To David

1:26pm

**I'm sorry?**

To David

1:39pm

**This is getting very old, very quickly. How am I supposed to know why you're upset with me and apologize properly if you won't even TALK to me? I've tried calling you about seven times now and it's gone straight to your voicemail every time. This is NOT very mature of you David! If something is wrong JUST TELL ME!**

Kurt stared dejectedly at his phone as he sat in front of his vanity. All day and no word from David. He was getting ready to just give up and go to sleep. Pavarotti let out a perky little whistle every so often. The whistle went up at the end, making it sound like Pavarotti was asking Kurt a question of some kind. Kurt was correct in his assumption (with regards to Pavarotti, not David). Pavarotti's squawks roughly translated to "You ok?" "What's up?" "Can we watch _Project Runway?_"

"As cruel as it sounds, you look cute when you're moping."

Kurt slammed his knee against the table portion of his vanity as he jumped up from his seat. "You _asshole_." David was standing right behind him. He hadn't heard him come up the stairs, open the door. _Nothing_. Kurt smacked him across the chest: not hard enough to make David flinch, but enough to get his anger across. "Where the hell did you come from?"

"Funny you should phrase it that way…"

"You were in the Underworld all day?"

"Well, not really. I was on Olympus for a while - there's crap cell phone reception there, by the way. Sorry I didn't call you. Then my dad and I went down to the Underworld to practice my powers a bit. Once again - crap reception." David took Kurt's hand and pulled him in close to himself, wrapping him into a warm hug.

"How did you get in my room? I didn't even hear you." Kurt nuzzled his cheek against David's chest. He smelled like pine and freshly turned dirt.

"I teleported."

"You teleported?" David nodded. "Into my _room?_" David nodded again. "What if I had been changing? I could have been naked! What would you have done if I were naked?"

David appeared to contemplate that thoughtfully for a moment. "I probably would have stayed invisible longer." Kurt smacked him on the chest, again. It still didn't hurt, but David rubbed his hand over the spot anyway, smiling affectionately at Kurt. "Nothing I haven't seen before." Kurt pursed his lips indignantly, not wanting to concede the point. "So…you really thought I was _upset_ you keep molesting me and forcing me to have _amazing_ sex with you?"

Kurt blushed and turned his face away, coyly. "Well…four times since Friday: that's six days. I thought maybe I was being too needy, or too pushy, or too…I dunno. You weren't responding to my texts or calls. I didn't know what to think."

David cupped Kurt's face in his hands, forced him to look him in the eye and bent down for a kiss. Kurt melted in his hands. Kurt felt his heart fluttering wildly in his chest. When David pulled away from the kiss, Kurt's face still cupped in his hands, David stared intently into Kurt's eyes. They looked soft, yet intense. "Never, never, never doubt my love for you. _Never._ Understand?" Kurt nodded, mutely. What could he say?

Spoiling the moment was Pavarotti, off to the side, in his cage, chirping like a mad man. Kurt could hear the metal bars of his cage rattling as he flapped around, shaking his home violently.

David smirked at the bird and rolled his eyes. "Yes, yes. I see you. 'Hello' to you, too." David strode over to Pavarotti's cage and unhitched the front door. Pavarotti immediately fluttered out and alighted on David's shoulder. David nodded and responded as Pavarotti continued to chirrup at him. "Uh-huh. Yep. Good." From the corner of his eye, David saw the look of awe and astonished disbelief on Kurt's face; Kurt was obviously impressed seeing David talk to animals. Ignoring the birdbrain for a moment, David redirected his attention to his boyfriend. "Want to see something cool?" Kurt smiled and nodded enthusiastically.

For a brief second, Kurt had the slightest sensation of tinnitus, a ringing in his ear, before his hearing cleared up, again. "And even though he was really obnoxious and mean I kind of miss him. Don't forget to tell him 'hi,' ok? And your mommy. I love your mommy. Tell your mom I say 'hi'. Oh, and Nana, don't forget her, either. And I think I left a jingly ball under your mommy's bed. I had a little pink jingly ball in my cage at your house and now I don't. I think it was a cat toy, but I still liked to pick it up and drop it to make it rattle."

Kurt had never heard that voice before, but he _knew_ it. He could feel in his heart that it was Pavarotti speaking. He could _understand_ Pavarotti! Kurt approached his boyfriend and pet, his eyes large like saucers and his lips parted in anticipation of words he couldn't find. Pavarotti cocked his head back and forth to the side in a darting fashion. "Can you tell Kurt I'd like more seed in my food? I don't like the kibbles so much."

"No more kibbles then. I'll give you all the seeds you want."

Pavarotti turned to face Kurt. "Oh my god! You understood me! I try to talk to you _all_ the time, but you _never_ understand. It doesn't matter though, I like talking to you and you like talking to me and I like listening to you and you like listening to me and now we can talk to _each other_." Pavarotti dove off of David's shoulder, flapped his wings a few times and landed on Kurt's shoulder.

David reached over and began stroking his finger over Pavarotti's head, prompting Pavarotti to stretch his neck into the caresses. "Sorry Pav, he can only understand you when I'm around. I could get in trouble giving a mortal _godly_ powers. And Kurt, keep Pavarotti on a mostly kibble diet. It's better for him; he'll just pick out the yummy, fatty, bad-for-you seeds and toss aside the yucky, healthy, good-for-you seeds."

Kurt ignored David as he stroked Pavarotti's neck. "Do you understand me when I talk to you, normally?"

"Oh, yes. I like to listen to you talk. And I love listening to you sing. And Finn. And your dad." Pavarotti reached his beak towards Kurt's head and started taking Kurt's hair into his mouth, one strand at a time, grooming his owner.

"My dad?"

"Yep, yep. Burt sings and hums and whistles when you aren't home. He stops as soon as he hears a door or a car pull up, but he sings really well. He has a deep voice, like Davey." Pavarotti drew out David's name, so it sounded more like Daaay-veeee. He even said it in a sweet, little singsong voice. Kurt wondered for a moment if his bird had a crush on his boyfriend. That would just be…_weird_. Kurt giggled as Pavarotti pecked at the bottom of his earlobe; he was horribly ticklish.

David took Kurt's hand and led him over to Kurt's bed. Delicately, keeping in mind the bird perched on his shoulder, Kurt kneeled down on his mattress. He was already dressed in his pajamas for the night. David began sloughing off his shirt. Kurt pressed his finger against the bottom of Pavarotti's chest, prompting him to step up onto Kurt's fingers. Kurt held him next to the bedside table and gave Pavarotti a moment to hop off. "Um…should we, you know, put him outside or something?" Kurt jerked his head towards the canary hopping around under his table lamp.

David smiled and chuckled softly, his chest rising and falling as he did. "First of all, birds don't mate the same way humans do. I _really_ doubt he'd get off on watching us. Secondly, I'm really not in the mood for sex, tonight. My dad ran me ragged today and using powers I've never had access to before is like using muscles that are atrophied. I'm just exhausted. I really just want to cuddle."

Kurt couldn't object to that. After the party on Saturday, Kurt had had the opportunity to have sex with David in David's bed, not in the Underworld. Cuddling was very nice after sex when you could actually feel tired and were still fluffy-headed. He couldn't imagine cuddling ever _not_ being nice. Well, maybe if it were _really_ hot out or he was sick or something. Finally stripped of everything but his briefs, David pulled back Kurt's covers and burrowed himself down under then. Crawling over his boyfriend, Kurt joined him in the warmth of the bed. "So what were you up to on Olympus?"

"Meh." David made a little grunt of indifference. "My uncle wanted to see me. 'Blah, blah, blah, duty to the pantheon, blah, blah, blah, duty to my king, blah, blah, blah, duty to my domain. I'm _the_ youngest god and have fairly major powers, so he wanted to make sure that I knew my place. Younger generations usurping the power of the older generations is something of a problem in my family."

Kurt snorted. "From what I've seen, the older generations usually deserve to be overthrown."

David looked off to the side, his tongue poking between his lips as he thought that over. "Not…_really_. Cronus was a piss-poor father, but he was actually a really, really good king. He was just friggin' paranoid because his own children were destined to overthrow him; but, like with King Laius and King Acrisius, his own actions to _avoid_ the prophecy ended up making it come true. Even still, his rule was known as the Golden Age…it kind of corresponds to the Judeo-Christian concept of Eden. Everything was perfect."

"Did you get to wear a toga on Olympus?"

"No! Just…_no_. First off all, Mr. Fashionista, the Greeks don't wear 'togas,' that's the Romans. Greeks wear _chitons_. Second of all, we wear whatever is appropriate for the era. Third of all, you can play dress-up with me _all_ you want, but you will _never_ catch me in a chiton. Those are more gay than I'm willing to admit I am." Kurt pressed his face into David's chest as he snickered.

xoxoxo

Being the son of the god of the Underworld, David had spent a significant amount of time in the Underworld. And, being a teenage boy with relatively minimal supervision, he had explored a great deal of the Underworld: the Asphodel Shores, the Elysian Fields, the Isle of the Blessed and even the Fields of Punishment and Tartarus. He had seen things too heinous to mention, innumerable horrors, some of the most frightening things imaginable. His relatives had creative minds when it came to punishment and did not take insult lightly.

Of the most popular phobias, David was largely immune to them. Spiders and snakes fell into his domain, so he had control over them. The fear of thunder was _stupid_ since he'd never done anything to piss off his uncle, the god of thunder and lightning. Death wasn't scary since his father was the god of the Underworld. Heights and germs didn't bother him because he was essentially immortal. People and crowds made him nervous, but he wasn't really _afraid_ of them.

Aside from coming out of the closet and performing in public, very little had ever really scared David.

Until now.

"Kurt." Kurt was fast asleep, with his back to David. They had been snuggled in close together when David woke up. David poked him softly just below his shoulder blade. "Kurt…wake up." He could hear a gentle moan of protest come from Kurt, so he poked him again. "Kurt."

Kurt slowly rolled over with the intent of facing David, but stopped mid-turn. _"Dad?"_

Burt Hummel sat in a chair by the foot of the bed, staring at the two boys as he caressed a shotgun. "Against my better judgment…against _any_ judgment, better or worse, that I have, I gave Kurt permission to spend Friday night at your house." David pulled the comforter up and over his chest, clutching it like a child would a security blanket. "In what way did that give you permission to come over, whenever you want, and _defile_ my son?"

"_Dad"_

Burt pointed his finger angrily at Kurt. _"You _put a lid on it, I'll get to you in a minute. You," Burt turned his attention back to David. "I didn't like you the moment I laid eyes on you. Even if you hadn't been a bully and a dumbass and a jackass, I _still_ wouldn't have liked you. You're nothing more than a typical teenage _hound dog_ out to get 'it' wherever and whenever you can. I catch you in bed with my son again and this" Burt gestured to the shotgun "will be loaded."

Eyes wide, David rolled out of bed and onto the floor, getting caught in the comforter as he did so. He started kicking his leg out, trying to untangle it from blanket. Kurt rolled his eyes at his father. "Dad, nothing _happened_. David just spent the night. We _snuggled_. If it were up to me, we would have done significantly more." Both Burt and David blanched at Kurt's confession. "But David just wanted to cuddle. I have personally instigated _every_ intimate encounter the two of us have engaged in. But it doesn't really matter which one of us is the 'hound dog'; we're both legal adults. Neither of us is stupid. We know what we're getting into; we understand the consequences of our actions, but have mutually decided that the benefits outweigh any potential downsides. Now, if you'll excuse us, I don't think David likes being nearly naked in front of you."

Burt stood up stiffly and slung the shotgun over his shoulder. "You and I will talk later. From now on, you _ask_ if he can spend the night. But, I can tell you right now, I'm gonna say 'no.' You may be an adult, but you still live under _my_ roof, and you _will_ respect my rules as long as you do." With that, Burt left.

Still sitting on the floor, entangled in the comforter, David stared mutely at the door Burt had retreated through. Too nervous to take his eyes off the door, afraid Burt could storm back in at any moment, David addressed Kurt. "You have brass balls. Don't ever let anyone tell you different."

Kurt shrugged. "It's no big deal. It's not the first time he's caught me in bed with a guy; I was prepared for his inevitable reaction this time."

_That_ drew David's attention from the door. "You've slept with a guy before?"

Kurt rolled his eyes. Possessive, jealous David was cute and flattering…to an _extent_. "Blaine got wasted, so I let him sleep in my bed. We weren't even dating at the time. It's no big deal."

"I still can't believe you stood up to your dad like that."

"I can't believe he can be so accepting of me being gay, yet still such a _hypocrite_." Kurt pulled himself out of bed and stomped over to his vanity and began pulling out various jars of creams and lotions. Viciously scrubbing one of the lotions into his skin, it was obvious Kurt's anger at his dad was causing him to work himself into a frenzy. "I mean, if you were a girl, dad probably would have high-fived me. No, he _definitely_ would have high-fived me. It just…gah!...it pisses me off."

Sometime in the past moment, David had disentangled himself and come to stand behind Kurt. David rubbed his hands soothingly over Kurt's shoulders. "That may be so, but, for now at least, I think it's best if I keep a low profile around your dad. At least until he stops hating me _quite_ so much."

"He doesn't _hate_ you, David."

David had never really talked to Kurt about the conversation he had shared with Burt while the man was checking out his vehicle. He knew Burt didn't 'hate' him, not precisely. He hated the _idea_ of David. He hated the reminder of what kind of person he _used_ to be. "I know. He'd probably hate any guy that touches his baby boy. But anyway, I love you and want your family to accept us as an 'us'. So, I think I'll try to keep my head down for now." Kurt patted one of David's hand as he continued his morning skin-care regime.


	51. Gifts

David knocked tentatively on Mr. Hill's classroom door. It was before the start of school, so he was more or less assured a private audience with his favorite teacher. A weak and weary voice responded to David's knock, "Come in." Mr. Hill, also known as "Mr. Over-the-hill," "Methuselah," "Skeletor," "The Crypt Keeper" and every other rude nickname high-schoolers could come up with, was the oldest and longest tenured teacher at McKinley High. As the saying goes, he was a hundred if he was a day. But even still, Mr. Hill was one of the kindest, fairest, and most amusing teachers in the school (when he learned of his nickname '"Skeletor," he put up a picture of his namesake on the bulletin board. It now sat in the bottom right hand corner of the blackboard, just behind his desk some twenty years later). He was also the only teacher who could help David at the moment.

"Hey, Mr. Hill."

"David, come in. How was your birthday yesterday?" Mr. Hill kicked out the chair opposite his own chair, offering David a seat across from him at his desk.

"It was really awesome. I got to hang out with my dad all day and do bonding stuff. You know, junk like that." Mr. Hill nodded. "I have a question for you."

Mr. Hill shook his head and pulled a stack of papers away from David, depositing them off to the side. "You know the rules, David; you'll get your test back when everyone else does. Besides, I'm sure you know what you got."

David smiled. Mr. Hill always accused him of some benign affront against the class rules. For instance, during the test he was alluding to, Mr. Hill had tossed a balled up piece of paper at David and told him to stop cheating. Or during a period of absolute silence in the class, Mr. Hill would chastise David for being too chatty or off-task. It was something of a joke between them since David was Mr. Hill's best student; he never misbehaved, never asked for special favors, never made excuses for late work or poor grades. "Actually, it depends on that extra credit question. There were too many brackets; my brain started melting. I have no idea if I got it or not."

"Did you get negative 64?" David nodded. "Then you got it right."

"Good to know. I'm not actually here about the math test, though. How long have you been here?"

Mr. Hill raised an eyebrow at him. "I seem to recall some students taking stagecoaches to school in lieu of pickup trucks; but, in the grand scheme of everything, not that long." Mr. Hill waited for David to chuckle before allowing himself to smile at his own corny joke. "I have been a math teacher here since 1965. I was a substitute here for three years before that while I worked my way through college."

"Do you remember Burt Hummel?"

Mr. Hill folded his hands over his chest, leaning backwards in his chair. "_Hummel Tire and Lube_. I need to get my tires rotated. Thank you for reminding me. But yes, I remember Burt as a student. He was one of my tactile learners. He couldn't do anything if he couldn't apply it to something he could touch. He needed to be able to feel things and manipulate them; it's served him well in his career."

That sounded like the Burt David knew. "I'm sure you can't really talk about it, confidentiality and all -"

Mr. Hill snorted. "Do have any idea how difficult it is to fire a tenured teacher? I could break a student's arm – believe me, I've been tempted – and I'd be dead and buried before it even went to court."

"Do you remember Burt being a bully?"

Mr. Hill frowned. "Of course I do. Teachers see more than the students think; most are too apathetic, bored or frightened to do anything about it though. Want to know a little secret, Dave?" David leaned in close, mimicking the movement Mr. Hill made. "When we do anti-bullying seminars here at school, the biggest bullies are always the most appalled at the idea of people bullying others. They don't see _themselves_. Everything they do is 'all in good fun.' Or the victims just take things too seriously. Did you ever think of yourself as a bully, David?"

David sat back and thought about that. Mr. Hill had been one of the first people to notice when David had started to change and act out as a sophomore. But David had always just shrugged him off or denied anything was wrong. "Not at first. By the time I realized that I _was_ a bully, I had justified it so much in my head…they deserved it, they'd get bullied whether or not I bullied them, a lot of them used to bully me…Even when I acknowledged I was a bully, I figured I had a right to be. I was protecting myself, you know?"

"You know better now?"

David nodded sheepishly; it was an uncomfortable period in his life to think about, much less talk about. "I was hoping you could tell me about a specific boy Burt bullied. He was like Kurt: effeminate, may have been gay, all the jocks bullied him?"

Mr. Hill sucked in his upper lip as he considered the question. "There are so many students that come and go over the years." David let out a huff of air, realizing Mr. Hill probably had no idea who he was talking about. "Usually, once they graduate, unless they made a real impact on my memory, or keep in touch, or remain in the area – like Burt Hummel – I tend to forget. I feel bad about it, I really do; each and every one of them seem so important to me in the here and now; I'm convinced I'll remember them forever. But once they're gone." Mr. Hill waved his hand past his face, as though he were brushing a fly away. "Out of sight, out of mind." David shifted in his seat, preparing himself to thank Mr. Hill and take his leave when the old man spoke again. "When I heard what was happening between you and Kurt last year, I was immediately reminded of Burt and Lee: the angry jock and the defenseless, but quick-witted, sharp-tongued 'nerd.' Lee went much the same route as Kurt; he transferred to a different school and that was the end of it."

"So you remember him? Lee…What was his last name?"

"Jason Lee McIntire. His father was a 'Jason' as well, so everyone called him Lee. Is that all you wanted to know? About the boy Burt Hummer used to bully?" David nodded. "You aren't going to blackmail your boyfriend's father are you?"

David blushed, he hadn't realized all the teachers were aware of him and Kurt as a "him and Kurt." "No. Not quite like that. I got my chance to make things right with Kurt. But, even then…I still feel _so_ guilty about everything. I can't imagine the guilt if I _hadn't_ been able to make things right. If he had gone off to Dalton and that had been the end of it."

"So…what? You plan on looking Lee up on the Facebook, hoping you've got the right person and getting Burt Hummel in touch with him after all these years?"

David shrugged nonchalantly. "Something like that."

xoxoxo

David's bike wasn't out front, so he obviously wasn't at work, yet. Despite the fact that it was nearing Christmas and the odds of ice, sleet and snow were getting better each and every day, David still rode his new motorcycle everywhere. Kurt had gone out with him on it a few times, only to freeze his ass off in the bitter wind. David assured Kurt that it was Kurt's choice of riding attire that made him freeze and not the fact that it was forty degrees outside. Kurt wondered momentarily if David was correct. After all, David wore the leather jacket Kurt had made him anytime he rode and seemed to do just fine. But then Kurt would get back onto the bike, freeze to death and come to the conclusion that gods must have a higher tolerance for cold than a mere mortal like Kurt.

Slightly excited at the prospect of having Paul alone for a few moments before David showed up for work, Kurt grabbed his bag and scurried into _Olivine's_. He had to give the store a once-over before he found Paul in the backroom, adding a toy to his collection on the shelves. It looked like one of those anime-style characters, with overly angular hair and a horrific sense of style. The little plastic figurine was wielding a ridiculously large skeleton key as though it were a weapon of some sorts. "Hey, Paul. I need to talk to you real quick."

Paul looked up momentarily from his important work (trying to figure out if the new figure looked better next to his little plastic Pluto dog or next to the Disney's _Hercules_ version of Hades he had on the shelf). "What's up?"

"All right, so I was surfing the internet last month trying to figure out what to get David for his birthday and doing my Christmas shopping at the same time. You and Sophie were really easy to shop for, but then it occurred to me…does your family even celebrate Christmas? I mean, it isn't sacrilegious or anything to you guys, is it?"

"Yes, we celebrate Christmas. It would look kind of odd and be unfair to David if we _didn't_. He has enough to set him apart from his classmates, don't you think? And you really don't need to get Sophie or myself anything."

"Oh, well. I already got it for you. _Anyway_…I _think_ I might have found a pretty decent gift for David. I mean, he likes reading and he _loves_ math and robotics…even if he sucks at computers." Kurt dug through the satchel draped over his arm for the gifts he had selected for David. "I think it also gives him someone to look up to. I had plenty of gay role models growing up; most out-loud-proud gays are more like me, than like David. David really hasn't had any decent role models though." Kurt handed two books over for Paul's perusal.

"Ah, good choice." Paul turned the books over in his hands, looking over the reviews and blurbs.

"You think it's enough? I mean…his birthday presents kind of make this seem a bit…_forgettable._"

"Well…we _do_ celebrate Christmas, but it's never been a really big deal. Sophie and I don't exchange gifts with each other and David, his birthday being so close to Christmas, usually only gets a few things. This is fine…but I do know a way it could be made better. At no extra cost." Paul was sure to add the last part quickly. He didn't know Kurt's financial situation beyond what he paid him, but knew Kurt's family was 'working class.'

"What were you thinking?"

Paul flipped through one of the two books: a biography. "He committed suicide in 1954. By rights, he should have gone to Cocytus, to drown in his own sorrow, but few of the gods would argue against him being considered a 'hero' for his work during the Second World War. So his fate was a 'push.' He's in Asphodel now. I'm sure an autograph and some scholarly notations might make the gift even more special."

"That's an awesome idea."

xoxoxo

"My dad wants me to trick you into telling me what you got him for Christmas. I told him even if you _did_ tell me, I'm _not_ telling him. He's such a big kid."

Kurt smiled and knocked his hip against David's as they maneuvered around each other in the small office: David trying to take care of ordering merchandise, Kurt practicing his reparation skills. "I made your mom a pretty hairpiece. It kind of matches her throne in the Underworld and I got your dad…" Kurt's voice trailed off as something occurred to him. "Dammit."

"What?"

"I didn't know about the museum in the Underworld when I got your dad's present. I had been looking at different mythology stuff on Amazon; I got an Amazon recommendation and I thought it would be a perfect gift for you dad. At least it _would_ have been if he didn't already have it."

"It's fine Kurt. The stuff in the museum can't _leave_ the Underworld; it's considered 'dead'. Whatever it is, he'll be happy for it. You didn't have to get him _anything_; he'll be grateful you even thought of him."

"It's kind of stupid now that I think of it."

"Kurt, I don't know if you've noticed, but my dad _collects_ stupid stuff." David gestured towards the little figurine collection.

Kurt smiled weakly, still feeling like his gift was dumb. "I got him this book series I found. They're chapter books for little kids – middle schoolers – but they're classic Greek myths, retold from Hades' perspective. So, of course he's the hero of them all and makes everyone else look lazy or stupid."

David pet Kurt's shoulder. "Kurt, that's awesome. It's corny and goofy and it's perfect for him. He'll _love_ it, trust me." Kurt nuzzled his head against David's neck. "So…what'd you get me?"


	52. Cetra

**Sorry! Writer's block. That's why I started up the second story: so I could keep writing while I thought about _what_ to write. I know where this is going; I know everything that's going to happen. It's just a matter of straightening out the wording and timeline in my head.**

**xoxoxo**

David looked over the small square piece of paper in his hand; it was about the size of a note card. All it had on it was a name and a number, nothing more. But it was all David needed. "Thanks, Harold."

David's cousin/uncle nodded. "De nada. I still don't get why it's so important, though." Being one of the messenger-gods and privy to almost every god and immortal's personal business, Hermes was naturally very curious and David could hear the hint of questioning in his voice; he was hoping David would tell him why the slip of paper – the number – was so important.

"It's just a Christmas present for someone; that's it."

Hermes' expression was blank as he pondered it over a bit. He had short brown hair, pale skin and a rounded face. He had made himself look like a teenager to make it easier to see David at school. Even with McKinley's non-existent security, someone would question a strange adult walking around. No one would question an unfamiliar teen; no student cared and no teacher would want to admit they didn't know who the student was. Any decent teacher would be mortified to realize they'd forgotten a student's name, or _worse_, didn't even recognize them. "A bit strange for a Christmas present, but then again, you _have_ always been a bit…" Hermes sucked his teeth, making a "tsk" sound while he thought about the perfect adjective. "Well, your parents made some interesting choices about raising you; let's just leave it at that."

David elbowed Hermes playfully. "Jerk." Giving David a half-assed salute, Hermes ducked into a nearby classroom before vanishing and teleporting away.

xoxoxo

David was talking with someone – someone Kurt didn't recognize. Though to be fair, David knew a significant amount of people at school that Kurt didn't: jocks mostly, as well as a few of the math nerds (though David rarely associated with them in _public)_. It was to be expected; they ran in two completely different circles with only New Directions and work overlapping (along with their relationship, of course). As he got closer to David, he noticed a slip of paper in his hand. For a brief moment of jealous-blindness, Kurt wondered if that other boy had been _flirting_ with David and had given him his _phone number_! But as Kurt looked back over the scene he had witnessed, he realized the body language didn't line up with such an unfounded accusation. He refused to let David's paranoia infect him. "Hey handsome." Kurt leaned up onto his tiptoes to give David a peck on the nose. "Who was your hot friend?"

David blushed and returned Kurt's kiss, pressing his lips to Kurt's forehead. "Just Hermes. He was delivering a piece of information for me."

Kurt leaned his head towards David so he could hear better in one ear. "Oh? What kind of information? Anything interesting?"

David sucked his cheeks in, debating whether or not he should come clean to Kurt. Kurt had a right to fully understand _all_ aspects of Burt's animosity towards David. Kurt also had a right, as a gay teen, to know how and why his father was the way he was; how had such a manly-man like Burt Hummel come to be such a caring and kind individual when it came to gays? It was unfair to say Burt was "open-minded;" open-minded sounded like you were open to listening to well-reasoned arguments and weren't blinded by prejudice. Burt Hummel, however, _was_ in fact blinded by prejudice – but not the bad kind. Prejudice had an unfair negative connotation as someone that was _against_ something. In fact, it was just an extreme bias for _or_ against something. It wouldn't be considered "wrong" for someone to be prejudiced against racism or prejudiced in favor of world peace; the word just _sounded_ bad because it was almost always used in a negative way. Burt Hummel was prejudiced in favor of gay rights. David felt that Kurt needed to know how his father came to be that way. However, at long last, David decided it wasn't _his_ place to tell Kurt anything. "Just a phone number I needed to get. Hermes is like the United States Post Office on crack; give him even the faintest details about someone and he can track them down. No, sorry; he's more like a rabid bill collector. The post office is really only good if you can't remember a zip code."

Kurt shook his head, smiling good naturedly, as he looped his arm with his boyfriend's and tugged him off towards the last glee practice before Christmas break.

xoxoxo

Olivine closed early that evening. It would remain open during the holidays (aside from Christmas day), but the nymphs were all going to spend the week back in the Underworld. Kurt and David both had the week off (_with_ pay; Paul was the best boss _ever_!) and so Olivine was having a little premature Christmas party potluck. Paul had provided a roast goose that had been marinated overnight in citruses. It was an absolutely _heavenly_ smell to Kurt. Sophie had provided the fruit and vegetable salads (of course), while Demi had baked different types of bread; ciabatta, corn bread, soda bread and a sweet bread with little raisins in it. The nymphs had provided roasted garlic mashed potatoes, asparagus in a béarnaise sauce, pearl onions in a cream sauce, caramelized carrots, and a pear shallot confit in a balsamic reduction. Kurt had provided the drinks: egg nog, apple cider and red velvet hot chocolate (which David had about five mugs of). And David, for his part, had made a fruitcake. Kurt had never had one before, but was pleasantly surprised to find it completely undeserving of its horrid reputation; it was essentially a dense, sugary bread with berries and nuts in it.

It was an amazing dinner. Kurt was greatly impressed with the cooking skills of everyone present…though he couldn't really be surprised about the women; they had all grown up during a time when a woman's looks, sewing skills, cooking skills and her father's money were just about her only marketable attributes.

The conversation was exceptionally light-hearted, with much of the present company throwing in embarrassing stories about a younger David to amuse Kurt and traumatize David. Kurt particularly enjoyed hearing a story about how a toddler David had sent his preschool into an uproar bringing a wild squirrel into the classroom for show and tell. Despite David's attempts at calming and reassuring the critter (it was too terrified of the high pitched, squeal-y children and David's powers were still too weak), it had ended up demolishing a good deal of the classroom. David was asked not to participate in show and tell after that…though few of the students participated after that, because how could any of them top a live squirrel? Demi had supplied that particular story, but the nymphs had their own contributions:

"Do you remember the time he thought it would be a good idea to take Cerberus out for a _walk_?"

"Oh my gods, I know! Who was supposed to be watching him? Mnemosyne had to work her magic on a whole park full of people to cover up that fiasco."

David just seemed to shrink lower and lower in his chair. Kurt almost expected him to bury his head in the mashed potatoes and hide. Pitying him, only the slightest, Kurt took David's hand under the table and held it in his lap. Kurt rubbed gentle little circles onto the back of David's hand using his thumb. After that, David seemed to settle slightly and just focused on Kurt's touches.

As dinner wound down, the nymphs were the first to retire; they had families in the Underworld they didn't get to spend too much time with and were eager to get back to. Demeter was the next to leave. When it was just David, Kurt, Sophie and Paul, Kurt took out the presents he had gotten for David's parents. Kurt had found an old weathervane with a bronze leaf at the northern point in a secondhand shop somewhere. It had become a warm shade of green from the patina over the years and had reminded Kurt of Sophie. He had lopped off the leaf from the rest of the weathervane and used the skills he had learned at Olivine and on his own to fashion it into a lovely old-style hairpiece. Sophie adored the piece; the jewelry her husband gave her tended to be very high-end, whereas Sophie considered herself more a simple country girl with a taste for the more rustic things in life. Sophie surprised Kurt by giving him a charm shaped like a little stringed instrument of some kind. "Everyone knows my symbol is the pomegranate. Not everyone knows I have other symbols. This is a cetra: a relative of the lyre. Unlike my husband here, I believe that you are going to be an important part of my son's life for a good, long time; therefore, I think you should be treated more like family." Kurt could feel heat and moisture building behind his eyes. Sophie may not have warmed to the idea of him being with David quickly, but she certainly supported them now. "If ever you need help of any kind Kurt, strum the cetra; any creatures, beings, or spirits nearby who are loyal to myself, my mother, Paul, or David will come to your aide."

Kurt was so busy staring lovingly at the little charm – the symbol of Sophie's matronly love for him – that he missed the knowing glance David had exchanged with his father. Kurt had no way of knowing about the long talk the three Karofskys had had about the risks Kurt faced dating a god. "Thank you, Sophie. This means so much to me." Even as he thanked David's mother he was thinking of all the ways he could work it into his wardrobe; with an appropriate hook for a clip, it could be on a bracelet, a necklace, a tie chain, a brooch, any number of things.

When Kurt had collected himself enough to not cry with happiness, he passed Paul his gift. "It definitely doesn't compare to Sophie's gift…or even everything you've given me just for the heck of it, but I think you'll enjoy it."

Paul eagerly tore off the reindeer-themed wrapping paper and chuckled heartily as he looked over the eight kid's books Kurt had gotten him. Paul looked over each title and the blurb on the back, chuckling and smiling as he did so. He shoved the second book at Sophie. Sophie rolled her eyes at the picture on the cover; it was supposed to be her, portrayed as a ditzy blonde talking on a cell phone. The title read _Phone Home, Persephone. _Paul summarized the synopsis for her; "Apparently you ran away with me to get away from your overbearing mother. Somehow that sounds more historically accurate than the truth."

David nudged Kurt. "Told you he'd like it. Where's my present?"

"I really do love them, Kurt. I love anything that's me or my family but pop-culture-ish…if that makes any sense."

Kurt smiled fondly at Paul. Under it all, he was such a big kid…like David. Kurt turned his attention to David. "No present for _you_ until Christmas, capiche?" David pouted like a little puppy dog.

"Speaking of which-" Kurt returned his attention to Paul. "My present for you kind of goes along with David's…so I can't tell you what it is yet without giving _David's_ present away."

"Yeah, and I can't give you your present until _after_ Christmas, so there." David stuck his tongue out at Kurt, blowing a raspberry at him. Kurt was ok with being patient though. He knew David would get him the _best_ present.

xoxoxo

David sat at his desk in his bedroom, pulling his cell phone out from his pocket. It had been a long day, but it was still only 8PM. It was only 5 in California, though, so he could definitely get some more stuff done before he called it quits for the night. He looked over the, now-wrinkled, square of paper he had received that morning. Dialing the number, he sat through what seemed an interminable amount of rings. Finally, the other end of the line picked up. A voice, deeper than he'd expected, answered. "Hello?"

"Hi. Is this Jason Lee McIntire?"

"It is."

"Umm…this is probably going to be the strangest call you've ever received, but…"


	53. Lee

"Merry belated Christmas, Mrs. Hummel!"

Carol hugged David and pulled him into the house. "Hello, sweety! How was your Christmas?" The Hummel-Hudson house was warm and bright. Christmas lights were strung up both outside and in; little plastic icicles hung from the banister and over the doorways. Poinsettias were strategically placed throughout the room, along with wreaths and mistletoe. A Yule log sat on the floor in front of the television. On the coffee table was a red and green ceramic bowl with scented pinecones that had been sprinkled with glitter. The Christmas tree they had bought from the nursery sat proudly in the corner, unwrapped gifts still sat beneath it, waiting to be moved to their "forever homes".

"My Christmas was good: a bit boring, but whatever. Here, I got you this." David handed Carol a little wrapped box.

Knowing what she did about David, and seeing the size of the box, Carol correctly guessed that it was jewelry of some kind. She daintily pulled the two ends of the ribbons, undoing the tie, and slipped the lid off the box. "Oh David, it's beautiful!" Carol held up the little bracelet and let David help her fasten it on.

"Kurt told me your birthstone was opal. I think that's probably my favorite birthstone: opals can have such amazing colors. They have a kind of 'personality'."

"Oh, great, buy my wife jewelry and make _me_ look bad, why don't you." Burt Hummel stood in the doorway of the kitchen, leaning against the doorjamb and watching his wife and son's boyfriend. His look wasn't entirely menacing, but it wasn't entirely joking either.

"Here Mr. Hummel, I got you this." David handed Burt a slightly larger, slightly more rectangular box with a card taped to the lid. "Open the card later." He said this in a quiet voice, meant only for Burt; Carol and Kurt didn't even see his lips move.

An eyebrow raised, Burt pocketed the card and began tearing the wrapping from the box. "You didn't get me matching earrings did you?" Carol chuckled at her husband, while Kurt rolled his eyes at the lame joke. Burt frowned once he had gotten the paper off and looked the gift over.

"For your shotgun."

As he looked over the small box of shotgun shells, the corner of Burt's lip pulled up into a reluctant smile. "Just don't give me a reason to use 'em."

"No, sir. Now if you'll excuse me, I promised Kurt I'd kidnap him for the day." David hooked his elbow around Kurt's and led him back towards the front door.

"You two be careful on that bike! We're looking at frost later today." Kurt waved off his father's concern. David handed Kurt his helmet for the bike and put his own on before swinging his leg over the side. He felt Kurt climb up behind him. Once Kurt's arms were firmly latched around his midsection, David gunned the engine and took off.

xoxoxo

"How accurate is the portrayal? Did he really look like that?"

"_Does_ he really look like that; Heracles is alive and well." Part of David's Christmas present to Kurt was a trip to the Louvre. It was night and no one was there aside from security, but it didn't really matter; David had made them invisible and silent. Homer was serving as tour guide, perched atop David's shoulder. Kurt was loath to admit it, but he rather liked the little rat. He was intelligent, kind, and occasionally humorous. They were in the Pavillon Richelieu, admiring statues, many of which had Grecian and Roman themes. _Hercule combattant Achéloüs métamorphosé en serpent_ (Hercules fighting Achelous transformed into a snake) was the current object of Kurt's admiration. "But no, the representation is far from accurate. I hate to say it, but Heracles, in my opinion, bares a striking resemblance to Russell Crowe as he looked in _Gladiator_…though his hair was longer."

"So not a dirty blonde with chiseled features?"

Homer laughed. "No, he did not look like Kevin Sorbo."

"All right, here's my next question…every statue we've seen of a naked guy so far…well they've all been…I have no idea how to ask this." Kurt giggled nervously as he waved a hand in the direction of the statue, as though his question were obvious.

Even in the dim artificial light David had summoned to show their way, He could see Kurt blushing. "What is it, Kurt? Just ask."

"I believe he's talking about the 'endowment' of the statues. Greeks associated large…_manhood_…with beasts, heathens, and barbarians. It was a sign of mental inferiority. Generally, the smaller the… _manhood_…the more intelligent a man was seen as being. And no one gave two sniffs about women, so pleasing them wasn't high on anyone's list of priorities."

"So either it's all a load of bullshit or David's just special because he's a god of beasts?"

Now it was David's turn to blush. Yes, Homer had probably seen him naked over the years, but he _really_ didn't need Kurt talking about his _junk_ with his pet rat. "All right, moving on now…" David tugged Kurt away from the statue of Heracles, and led him down the shallow steps. "Where to now?"

"I know it's not Greek, but I'd like to see the _Mona Lisa_."

"That would be in the Denon Wing." Kurt was impressed with Homer's knowledge of each of the artists, sculptors, paintings, statues, the history of the museum itself, that's why he was bit disheartened to hear him mumble under his breath, "Prepare to be disappointed."

He pointed out various paintings on their way. One particular painting drew amusement from Kurt, David and Homer. There was a _huge_ painting of a soldier on horseback entitled _Joachim Murat_. It was probably the ugliest thing Kurt had ever seen; everything was out of perspective, the lines were awful, and to top it all off, the subject of the painting was riding a hideously deformed horse with a saddle made out of a tiger. The tiger looked like it had been steamrolled in an old Wile E. Coyote cartoon. It was hilarious how horrible it was until Kurt remembered that it took up almost half a wall in what was possibly the most famous museum in the world. Kurt just shook his head, "I really hope it was the museum's idea of a joke."

"Come on, the _Mona Lisa_, or rather _La Gioconda_, is in this room here."

Kurt turned around and followed David and Homer to a moderately sized room behind them. Almost as soon as he entered, he turned around and came face to face with the _Mona Lisa_. Kurt cocked his head to the side. _That was it?_ Homer was right; he _was_ disappointed. "It's kind of…_tiny_ and..._blah_." It was hard to find the right words to express his disappointment at seeing one of the most celebrated paintings in history.

"In my opinion," Homer intoned, "the _Mona Lisa_ has become a victim of her own fame. Most people love her largely because she is famous, without understanding how she became famous to begin with. Take a look around for a minute; as you've noted, she's small, especially compared to the other paintings surrounding her. Not only that, but the vast majority of these paintings show their subjects in their entirety. The fact that Leonardo portrayed her only from the waist up was revolutionary at the time. Now look at her pose; it's natural and intimate, another rarity of the time; most other portraits were rigid and almost painfully posed, the others were intended to be candid and thus had little to no personal relationship with the painter and thus the observer. Finally, look at the background and the lighting; both work to highlight the subject. Most paintings of the time had a sharp focus on both the subject as well as the background, allowing the observer to choose where their eyes look. The _Mona Lisa_ has a muddled background forcing the observer to focus on her; the lighting works in much the same way, drawing our eyes away from the minutiae and towards her face. It was all rather ingenious for Leonardo's time…and typical for ours. Leonardo fathered many of the practices we use in modern portraiture."

"She's still an ugly-ass broad." Kurt snorted and backhanded David's chest. "I'm serious; if you're going to revolutionize painting or whatever, at least pick a nice model."

"Like you would have any idea what a "hot" woman looks like. You still think women are 'icky'."

Homer continued to lead Kurt and David throughout the museum. There was so much to see, and so very little time; Paul's Christmas present to Kurt had to occur at a fixed time, or the opportunity would be missed.

The final stop on their tour of the museum was Antonio Canova's _Psyche Revived by Cupid's Kiss._ As with much of the works in the first section of the museum they had explored, this particular piece was a statue. "It's really quite beautiful. It's Aaron and Sarah, right?"

David nodded. "Yeah, back when they'd just hooked up and Aphrodite was still screwing with them."

"That kind of looks like Sarah. Does Aaron really have wings?" Kurt went up to the statue, examining it from all angles, up close and personal. He got far closer than security probably would have liked, but he was intent on seeing the finer details.

"If he so pleases." Was Homer's reply.

So far, it was Kurt's favorite piece from the tour, though it reminded him of another piece he'd heard of, "Your dad said there was a statue of him and your mom…_The Rape of Persephone? _Why would anyone make a statue showing _rape_? I understand that art is subjective, but that's just…" Kurt shuddered, rather than finish his thought.

"First of all, it's _The Rape of Proserpina_, Mom's Latin name. Second of all, traditionally, rape hasn't always meant…you know, forcing someone to have sex with you. Rape originally meant to take something by force. The statue is of my dad _kidnapping_ my mom, not raping her."

"And that statue isn't here," Homer intoned. "It's in Italy. Now I _believe_ we are approaching the time of a certain appointment Paul scheduled."

David nodded and a moment later they had rematerialized in a different section of Paris. Kurt wasn't certain where they were (or why they were there), but they stood in front of a door to what was likely someone's place of residence. David knocked loudly and a few moments later the door opened. Kurt looked at the man in the doorway, a sudden feeling of familiarity coming over him. He'd seen this man before. Kurt's mouth figured it out, purely out of instinct, before his brain did and he had just enough wherewithal to whisper three words – three names – before fainting: "_Jean Paul Gaultier."_

xoxoxo

He'd been so nervous seeing Kurt climb onto David's motorcycle that Burt had completely forgotten about the card until much later in the day. Sitting in the living room, he pulled it out and, slipping his thumb under the fold, tore it open. It was a hokey little Christmas card, nothing over the top or suspicious. Inside though was David's _real_ Christmas present to his boyfriend's father:

_Mr. Hummel, _

_I get why you hate me so much, but the time has come to stop hating **yourself**. You have no control over the dumb kid you were, but all the control in the world over the awesome dad you've become. _

_For once in my life, I'm grateful that this is such a small town and that everyone seems to know everyone else. It took only the tiniest bit of sleuthing, but I figured it out: his name is Jason Lee McIntire. His number is 1-650-555-8300. I told him I was going to give you his number; he'd like to talk to you, but he understands if you don't want to talk._

_Sincerely,_

_David Karofsky_

_P.S. If I ever hurt Kurt, feel free to use your other Christmas present on me ;)_

Burt stared at the letter. He somehow knew exactly, without any pause, doubt or question, who this Jason Lee McIntire was. But all he could do was stare.

There's a time in most people's lives, usually when they're teenagers, when they begin to feel emotions in such jumbled up messes that they can't even begin to describe them, let alone understand or control them. Burt felt that way now. Part of him wanted to cry; he felt he was on the verge of some great catharsis. Someone _finally_ understood the pain he felt after all these years. Part of him wanted to hunt down David and beat the ever-loving snot out of him; he had no right, this wasn't his business! Part of him wanted to throw out the card, pretend he'd never seen it; he was a grown man, shouldn't he learn to put the past _behind_ him and _forget_ about it? The one emotion he genuinely recognized was one he hated ever having to admit to: fear. What would happen when he dialed that number? Did he really _want_ to know the full extent to which he'd wrecked this kid's – no, he wasn't a kid anymore, he somehow hadn't aged in Burt's memories – this man's life. Even still, against any conscious will of Burt's, his hand reached for the telephone receiver, sitting in its cradle by the couch.

He had to dial the number out several times, the robotic operator telling him _please dial one_ and then _please do not dial one_. Finally, he got through to a ringing phone, and then the click of someone picking up, and then the hiss of air as a voice spoke on the other end of the line, "Lee McIntire, network security, how can I help you?"

"Lee?" Burt couldn't trust his own voice; unsure whether he had spoken the name or merely thought it, he repeated himself, "This is Jason Lee McIntire?"

"It is."

"I don't know if you remember me or not," _Of course he remembers me; he's __**expecting**__ my call, _"But we went to school together."

"Burt Hummel. I remember."

"I…I want to…t-to apologize. For everything." Burt squeezed at his temples with his thumb and middle finger. He felt slightly dizzy all of a sudden.

"I kind of assumed as much when that Dave kid talked to me about you. I was kind of confused about that; is he _your_ son or is he _dating_ your son, or what's the deal?" Lee didn't sound mad, or upset, or sad, or scared, or any of the other things Burt expected him to sound confronting his old bully.

"He's my kid's boyfriend. He's…he's a lot like me. My son, Kurt, he's…Kurt's a lot like you. When I realized he was like you…it tore me up inside. Knowing that there were people out there who would torture him the way I…the way I tortured you."

Lee cut Burt off. "I'm not gay, Burt. I'm not even bi. Not everyone who isn't a jock is gay." That took Burt back a bit; yes, he had told David he wasn't even sure if Lee was gay…but he'd still _assumed; _Lee was like Kurt in almost every way. "Look, I'm glad you've come to terms with your problems and your homophobia, but I'm still not gay. I just hate sports." Lee chuckled slightly, a bit awkwardly. "Thanks for calling and apologizing; it means a lot to me that you actually feel remorse for what you did…so many people out there don't even give a shit."

There was a long, drawn-out silence on the line; Lee had said what he wanted to say, while Burt had said what he needed to say. Every so often, Burt would open his mouth to speak but found his brain hadn't actually plotted out any words. Finally, it was Lee who broke the silence. "So…you still working at your dad's old shop?"

xoxoxo

Burt and Lee talked for a good hour; they had nothing in common, but they still found they had plenty to talk about. At the end of the hour, Burt felt like he'd made a new friend, a friend he'd probably never have a reason to talk to again, but a friend nonetheless. Burt was still awake, thinking about the conversation, when he heard David's motorcycle pull up into the driveway. It was a little before midnight. Burt opened the front door right as Kurt was putting his key into the knob. Burt barely even looked at his son, didn't see the new clothes he was wearing or the garment bag he had slung over his arm. Instead, he passed by Kurt and went up to David. The two men stared at each other for a minute, neither exactly sure what was going to happen next.

Neither expecting the hug Burt wrapped around David.


	54. It Begins

Kurt loved his new Jean Paul Gaultier custom-made suit. He loved it almost as much as he loved David…_almost_. He loved it so much that he found that he had to constantly remind himself that it was a bit unseemly to wear it more than once a week. And when he _did_ wear it, he had to constantly remind himself not to preen and strut about like a peacock. Even still, he found himself admiring his reflection every time he passed by a reflective surface. That made it difficult to work in a jewelry store; every surface had a mirror for customers to admire their own reflections. Kurt tore himself away from admiring his classy-self just long enough to notice a customer had not been addressed yet. David was in the back room dealing with the books, the girls were all working with inventory or customers and Paul was repairing a rather expensive diamond necklace, so Kurt approached the girl.

She couldn't be much older than Kurt; her face still had the soft rounded edges of youth. She thumbed through a large magazine on one of the counters that advertised all the charms the store was able to provide. "Hello, can I help you?"

She smiled up at Kurt, out from under her hoodie. With her large, warm brown eyes and soft, perfectly smooth skin, she'd be stunningly gorgeous if she had any idea how to dress. Was grunge rock even still a thing? "I'm just checking out the cute little charms."

"Is there anything in particular in which you're interested? Are you commemorating an event of some kind?" Kurt kept a respectful distance but leaned in slightly to see what page she had been looking at: animal mascots and little silver and gold balls and racquets littered the page. It was the sport's section.

"I'm just really into archery, lately. _Hunger Games_, you know?"

Kurt's smile became less business, more genuine. "Oh, I _love_ that series. I'm sure fangirls everywhere will maul me for saying this, but I'm a huge Team Peeta fan."

"Oh, me _too_. Gale just got _so_ totally weird in the last book: total loser." She shrugged her purse higher onto her shoulder and held out her hand for Kurt. "I'm Dena." She held Kurt's hand in her own a second longer than Kurt was comfortable with. He was nervous for a minute she would try hitting on him, but she took her hand back and went back to examining the magazine. "Are there any archery-themed charms?"

Kurt turned the magazine around so he could see it better. He flipped through a few pages until he found one that showcased the more obscure sports. "We actually have several different archery charms; an arrow, a bow with an arrow crossing it, and an arrow in a bull's-eye. They're all available in gold or silver. The little bow and arrow can be purchased with a silver bow and a gold arrow as well; it's really lovely looking. The bull's-eye charm can be engraved. Do any of these look interesting to you?"

Kurt turned the book back around and indicated to the three charms he had mentioned. Dena took in a contemplative breath and examined the three images with a detached air. "They're all a bit too bourgeois for my taste, thank you." She smiled at Kurt, looking him over with a predatory gaze before turning and leaving. Kurt's nose scrunched up and he frowned, watching her leave Olivine. What a strange girl.

xoxoxo

Kurt liked his drive home; it was very soothing. It was all back roads and stoic scenery: woods on one side of the road, a quarry on the other. He wasn't really looking forward to driving it once winter got there in full force, but, for now, it was a nice way to unwind at the end of the day.

It was that skeletal time of year when the trees had shed their leaves, but hadn't yet been clothed in snow and icicles. The birds that hadn't flown to warmer climates were exposed in the naked branches. The red-tailed hawks were easily the most impressive birds he spotted on his drive. Their hulking presence as they scanned the forest floor for smaller birds and mice was hard to miss. Thankfully he hadn't actually seen a hawk _catch_ any kind of prey; Kurt wasn't sure his stomach could handle it. And now that he'd had intimate conversations with a rodent, it would probably hurt his heart to see it.

It was such a quiet, serene drive that he wasn't quite as careful as he should have been. Even if he _had_ been paying complete attention, he wouldn't have been able to swerve in time to not hit the deer. He may have been able to swerve enough to hit it at a better angle; though, conversely, if he'd been more aware of it he may have panicked and pulled his car too much in the _wrong_ direction and become a bit too buddy-buddy with the rock quarry. As it was, he hit the deer head-on and slammed his forehead against the steering wheel.

xoxoxo

When he sat up, everything felt a bit hazy. He couldn't tell with any certainty whether or not he had blacked out; if he had, it couldn't have been for more than a few minutes. Time seemed to move at half-speed as he held his fingers up to his eye and gingerly touched the swollen and tender flesh. It was difficult to see through his left eye and it stung to the touch. When he drew his fingers back, he could see, through his good eye, a streak of red across the tips of his index, middle, and ring finger. He scrunched up his toes; he could move them, that was good. He flexed he fingers on his other hand. Again, nothing felt broken. Kurt arched his back slightly; the seat belt dug into his chest. It had constricted sometime during the crash. He fidgeted with the catch on the seat belt and sucked in a deep breath when the seat belt released him. It took a bit more force than usual to get the driver's door open. Either that or Kurt was just weaker than usual. He had trouble standing after he slid his legs out of the car. He had to brace himself against the vehicle until the world stopped spinning.

The hood of his vehicle was bent inwards and down. Obviously, Kurt had hit the deer, but the vehicle must have thrown the deer up onto the hood as well. There was a deep crack in his windshield running parallel to defrost vents. But there was no sign of the deer anywhere. Kurt knew they were tough bastards, but he hadn't expected them to be able to do so much damage and still walk away from the scene of the accident.

Kurt wandered over to the curb and sat down, pulling out his phone as did so. Kurt was grateful for the contact list on his phone; he was so shaken up he doubted he'd be able to remember his father's number. His father picked up the phone on the second ring. "Daddy?"

"Hey, buddy. What's wrong?"

Kurt held his phone to his ear with his right hand and touched his left fingers to his eyebrow again. The bleeding hadn't let up. His hand shook as he looked at the smear of blood. "Don't freak out."

"_Kurt"_ His voice was accusatory, the voice of a father who expected his teenage son to have caused some trouble of some kind. So far, Kurt had been a near perfect son, but he was a _teenager; _he was bound to screw up eventually.

"I'm ok…but I got in a little accident. My car's wrecked."

There was only silence. Kurt expected to hear a *thud* as his father's body, rendered inoperable by a heart attack, hit the floor. He didn't hear the thud, but he _did_ hear his father let out a deep sigh. "You're ok?"

Kurt thought about telling his father the truth, _I hit my head on the steering wheel and am bleeding a little from a cut over my eye, my shoulder hurts because the stupid seatbelt decided to turn into a vice and squeeze me to death while I'm whipping through the air at 40 miles per hour, and I have the worst headache I've ever had…aside from the __**last**__ time I got in a car accident._ He quickly decided against it. His father would just exaggerate the complaints in his head until he believed that Kurt was on the verge of death. He'd just let his dad see the damage for himself. "I'm…I'm ok. I'm a little shaky; but, _you know_."

"I'm gonna head to the shop and get the tow-truck. Where are you?" Kurt gave him his location and directions. "I can be there in about thirty minutes. I want you to hang up and call yourself an ambulance; I don't want to get you home only to find out you've got a concussion, or a brain hemorrhage, or bruised ribs or something." If he weren't so achy, Kurt would have laughed. He was pretty sure each of those things was probably true.

xoxoxo

His dad got there before the ambulance and sat with him on the curb while they waited. "I've never seen a deer take a hit that bad and live to tell his woodland buddies about it." Burt had freaked out a little when he first saw Kurt. By then, Kurt had seen his reflection in the side view mirror. It looked as painful as it felt. A shiny purple sheen was already beginning to spread out from the cut; his eye was little more than a puffy slit. If he closed his good eye, and tried forcing open his bad eye, he could faintly make out the blur of his eyelashes. Patting himself down, Kurt could feel exactly where the seat belt had lain across his chest; he was positive that when he changed that night he'd find a three inch strip of bruising going diagonally across his torso.

"I barely even saw him. He came out of nowhere."

"You think you're boytoy'll mind chauffeuring you around? It's probably gonna take a week or two for all this to get fixed up. You did a number on that poor vehicle."

Kurt nodded. "He won't mind."

"You call him yet?"

Kurt shook his head this time. "I'm going to wait until the paramedics tell me I'm fine so he doesn't freak out."

Both father and son turned towards the flashing red and white lights in the distance; the ambulance was still a few minutes away. "You _aren't_ ok, and they're gonna tell you as much. Though, I'll admit, you're in a lot better shape than you might have been."

"My head hurts."

"Aw, kiddo, I bet it does." Burt put his arm around Kurt's shoulder and pulled him into resting his head against Burt's thigh. Kurt closed his eyes and just stayed quiet until the ambulance pulled out.

xoxoxo

It was early in the morning by the time the hospital let Kurt go. Nothing was broken, his eye had required two stitches, and he had a slight concussion. As Kurt had predicted, he had received some rather lovely bruises from the seat belt: a deep purple one crossing his left shoulder and a bluish-green one across his right hip.

Despite the fact that the nurses and doctors kept kicking David and Burt out every few minutes for a different test or when they looked him over, the two men stayed at the hospital with Kurt until he was discharged. At one point, Burt left of his own free will to fetch coffee for all of them. David lay on the gurney beside Kurt, being careful not to touch him or shift the bed in any way. "You need to _not_ worry me like this. I'm going to keep you in a terrarium so I can make sure you're safe. I'm positive your dad would approve of the idea."

Kurt smiled affectionately at David. "I'm just glad Thanatos didn't decide to tease me with visions of the afterlife this time." David returned Kurt's smile, albeit forced, as he thought about the last car accident Kurt had been in.


	55. Lions and Tiger and Cows, Oh My!

"You are the _only_ person, I think, in the history of the Earth to try and coordinate their outfit with a _black eye_."

Kurt did a little demonstrative twirl while David talked, but then stopped and glared at him (as best as he could with only one good eye). "_Try_?"

"Well, the purple in your sweater seems a bit lighter than the shade of purple around you eye…" Kurt pursed his lips bitterly. "But, I have absolutely no taste in fashion, so what do I know?" Kurt seemed pensive about that, but then nodded in agreement. "So, how are we gonna handle getting you around? Finn takes you in the morning, I get you to work and home?"

"Except on days when we have glee club; then Finn can take me home afterwards, since I don't have work on those days." Kurt slipped his hand into David's as they maneuvered through the halls. Some of the students surreptitiously cast sideways glances at Kurt's bruise whenever they thought Kurt wasn't looking, but he usually caught them. Occasionally, someone would stop what they were doing and openly stare at it. One jock had even had the nerve to 'congratulate' Dave for keeping his 'bitch' in line.

After that comment, Kurt wasn't the only one in school with a black eye.

No faculty had been around to see the exchange, but two of the guys from glee club (not including Kurt or David) had been there to both hear the comment and see the punch, so the jock would be stupid to say anything to the faculty; the glee guys would stick together and lie for Dave and Kurt's sakes.

Kurt tugged firmly on David's hand and pulled him into an empty classroom.

"Babe?" Dave looked understandably confused.

"We have twenty minutes until our first classes; I hurt and I want you…" Kurt ran his finger down David's chest seductively. "to make me forget that hurt."

Smiling devilishly, David ran his hands down Kurt's back and scooped him up by the butt. Stroking his hands down Kurt's thighs, he encouraged Kurt to spread his legs and wrap them around Dave's waist. "Here?"

Kurt nodded, "Here."

David lifted Kurt slightly and balanced his boyfriend on the edge of a countertop. Kurt tightened the grip his legs had around David's hips and pulled him closer: pinioning him with his calves. Carefully cupping the uninjured side of Kurt's face with his hand, David pulled Kurt into a deep kiss, sliding their tongues together. Kurt was very domineering in the kissing department; he constantly wrestled Dave's tongue with his own, trying to hold it down and force it into submission. Unfortunately for him, David was a very competitive individual and attacked Kurt's tongue with just as much enthusiasm.

Kurt pulled away, sucking in a gasp of breath. "We don't have long and I really need to get off."

David felt his heart catch in his throat. "Hedone was right, you are a little horn-dog." David ran his hands down Kurt's sides, careful to only ghost his fingertips over the bruises hidden below the folds of Kurt's sweater. He tickled Kurt's stomach as he trailed his fingers over the flesh, just above his beltline. It took a few seconds of fumbling, but David was able to undo the belt, the three buttons, and the zipper, sliding the pants off of Kurt's hips just enough to free his purpling erection.

"You post a lookout?"

David kissed the soft expanse of skin just below Kurt's navel. "There's a cockroach in the air vent that'll tell us if anyone's coming."

"Ew. I don't need to know these things. A simple 'yes' would have worked."

David flicked his tongue out over Kurt's belly button, making his boyfriend shudder. David followed the downy, blond fluff of Kurt's 'happy trail' with delicate kisses. His boyfriend 'hmm'-ed pleasantly at the sensation, until David swiped his tongue over the head of Kurt's penis. "What are you doing?" Kurt's eyes were wide and startled.

"I sure as hell can't get off in the next," David glanced down at his watch, "fifteen minutes. But I can certainly get you off; I'm going to give you a blowjob."

Kurt grimaced, the corner of his lip twisting into a disgusted sneer. "Ew! Ew, ew, _**ew**_. You stick your mouth down there, don't ever expect to kiss me again. That's gross, and unsanitary, and _gross_."

David placed his palms on the corner of the counter, one on each side of Kurt's hips and leaned in close to his boyfriend: surrounding him, trapping him. His eyes were dark and intense: _feral_. Kurt's breathing became thick and heady. "By the time I'm done, you're going to be _begging_ me to never stop."

Kurt continued to make uncomfortable little whines of objection and disgust as David lowered himself back down to Kurt's crotch. Despite Kurt's alleged disgust, his erection did not flag. He licked the base of Kurt's penis, dragging his tongue languidly up the side. Looking up, he could see Kurt had his eyes screwed shut, trying to block out any knowledge of what David was doing. David smirked to himself before lowering himself even more until he was eye level with Kurt's balls. He leaned forward and sucked one of the soft, pink spheres into his mouth.

There was a sudden exhalation of air from above him: a gasp coming from Kurt. A hand was lowered onto to David's head, the fingers entwining with the hair.

David smiled to himself and removed his mouth from Kurt's jewels. He leaned up slightly and placed his mouth directly over the tip of Kurt's erection. He had never done anything like this before – unless you counted midnight fantasies involving acting out the actions with his finger – so he descended _slowly_ upon the staff.

Kurt, contrary to his earlier allegations of revulsion, was apparently getting into it and involuntarily thrust upward into David's gaping jaw. David sputtered for a second before he removed himself from Kurt's dick and smiled indulgently at his boyfriend. Kurt blushed and looked away from David's stare, the hand that had been resting on David's head placed delicately and innocently off to the side. David shook his head and returned to worshipping his boyfriend's erection. Kurt restrained himself from bucking again as David's mouth sunk down on his penis until his lips were nestled against the short, well-manicured lawn of Kurt's groin.

The hand was back in David's hair, the entwining fingers a bit rougher – more insistent – this time. When David began raising and lowering his head on Kurt's erection, pistoning his movement, the fingers tightened, pulling at David's roots. Rather than painful or otherwise offensive, David took this as encouragement and sped up his movements as much as his gag reflex would allow. Even being cautious of his gag reflex, David found himself choking slightly on several of the down turns and made appropriate accompanying noises.

Kurt didn't seem at all concerned about that and squeezed his fist on David's head, nearly ripping out some of David's hair. He was starting to realize Kurt found the sounds almost as attractive as the actions. David played that up by intentionally duplicated the sounds: the chokes, the moans, the indecent slurps. As he continued on, he looked up through the canopy of his eyelashes and saw Kurt looking back down at him. Once he caught Kurt's eye contact, he didn't think he could tear his eyes away again. Kurt had an intense, concentrated look to his eyes. Deciding to try some of the things he'd seen in porn (things his vanilla little penguin of a boyfriend probably didn't know about), he hollowed out his cheeks as he sucked while taking the base of Kurt's cock in a partial fist. As his head went up, his fist went up, as his head went down, his fist went down while twisting.

Kurt was the first to break eye contact, moaning wantonly as he threw his head back. David raised the hand that wasn't grasping Kurt's dick up to Kurt's mouth, quieting his noisy little boy-toy. Despite his hand being flattened over Kurt's mouth, he could still feel Kurt's teeth grasping at David's middle finger, pinching the flesh he found there. David pushed his middle finger forward into Kurt's mouth, letting him clamp down on the digit to silence his moans.

When he felt Kurt's body begin to twitch and spasm, he altered his fisting of Kurt's penis: loosening his grip on the downstroke and squeezing on the upstroke, trying to "milk" his pre-orgasmic boyfriend. Kurt once again locked his heels behind David's back, forcing David closer. Despite his better judgment, Kurt started thrusting his hips. David made sure his hand on Kurt's cock prevented the erection from going uncomfortably fast or deeply into David's throat.

It was possibly ten minutes from start to finish, thanks to David's prior research and Kurt's inexperience with blowjobs, but even though it was quick and easy, Kurt came _hard_. The skin where Kurt was biting down on David's finger purpled and some capillaries broke beneath the skin from the way Kurt grit his teeth in orgasm. David was caught so off-guard by the actual action of Kurt's orgasm that he pulled back in shock as the first streak of cum hit the back of his throat. The subsequent streaks all splattered across his lips and his left cheek.

When Kurt was spent, he began trying to regain his breath and composure, breathing in quietly and out in deep huffs. When he opened his eyes and looked down at his boyfriend again, he laughed at the mess he had made on David's face. "That is so gross."

"You think?"

"Yes."

Even though Kurt still claimed it was "gross", his laughter implied he had softened his stance on the matter significantly. David wiped his hand across the puddle of cum on his cheek and looked at the mess in his hand appraisingly for a minute. "Yeah, I guess it is kind of gross. But, I'll let you be the judge of that." David shoved his hand at Kurt's face and rubbed the mess across Kurt's lips, nose and cheek.

Kurt erupted into a fit of hysterics like someone getting tickled against their will. "Oh, no! Stop that! Ew, ew, ew, _Gross_!"

David stood up and pulled Kurt closer, so that Kurt's legs were wrapped around his hips and began licking the grossness from Kurt's face. After another bout of giggles, which subsided into soft little hiccups, Kurt cuddled in close to David and wrapped his arms around David's torso.

xoxoxo

"All right, so just massage it in, gently, two to three times a day and it should take care of the swelling and the pressure." Sophie rubbed her own au natural concoction into the area around Kurt's swollen eye. She'd made up a few batches of it just for him, but she'd been using the recipe to help mortals and nymphs for centuries. "You'll know it's rubbed in enough once the color is gone." True enough, the milky white balm was slowly fading to an oily, clear sheen. "Give it a week or so and you'll be good as new."

"I'm already starting to feel better. It's got aloe vera in it, doesn't it?" Sophie nodded. "The aloe really helps take care of the throbbing."

"Aloe is one of my favorite little creations. It's wonderful for just about everything." Sophie walked over to the kitchen sink – she, David and Kurt had been sitting at the breakfast nook in the kitchen – and scrubbed her hands clean of the oily remedy before putting a tea kettle on the stove. "Do you prefer black teas, white teas, oolong, herbal?"

"I prefer black. Do you have Earl Grey, per chance?"

Sophie dug around in the cabinet for a black tin. "Twinings, of course. I keep a little of everything around, except greens and a few of the herbals, like comfrey." Sophie placed the tin of Earl Grey on the table for Kurt, got out a tin of English Breakfast tea bags for David and Paul, and Pomegranate for herself. Paul wasn't home yet, but was expected to arrive within ten minutes, or so. Sophie prepared some lemon wedges, and got out the sugar and milk.

"Why no green tea?"

"Because all of its supposed health benefits are completely unfounded, but it _can_ cause liver problems. I personally don't care for green tea and neither does Paul or David, so there's no reason in keeping it around."

"Part of me says I shouldn't argue with a goddess, but I still think I'll do my own homework. I don't really care for green tea, either, though." Kurt rubbed at the corner of his eye. The aloe had warmed slightly, no longer cool to the touch, and was starting to feel sticky.

Sophie took hold of his wrist and lowered it to the table. "Stop poking at it or you'll hurt yourself." Kurt smiled and looked away, cradling his empty teacup.

The front door opened, accompanied by the sound of Paul kicking snow and mud off his shoes. Kurt had lucked out with his accident; the next day it had started snowing and had left a few inches of wet, slippery snow. He didn't want to know how bad his accident would have been if the roads had been slippery.

Paul entered into the kitchen, shrugging out of his coat as he plopped the mail down on the table. "Evening everyone." Paul leaned in to peck Sophie on the lips, before nodding a greeting at Kurt and David. "Ugh, it's worse than David told me. You're certainly a trooper, Kurt."

Kurt shrugged. He didn't have a whole of choice but to deal with it. "It's fine. And I have no issues working in the office until I become presentable at the front counters again."

"I don't mind you working at the front counters, but I know how you feel about your appearance, so I have no problem with you working in back." Paul looked at David, though he continued to talk to Kurt, "David can show you how to process billing and lading." Paul slid the mail towards David. "You have a letter by the way." David picked up the white envelope. "It's from the University of Connecticut."

David's hand stilled and he looked reverently, and almost nervously, at the letter. "UConn?"

"Is there another University of Connecticut?"

Kurt clapped his hands together. "Your first letter! Open it, open it! I haven't seen any of mine yet."

David looked over at his parents, quirking a mile. Sophie nodded, urging him to open it. David slipped his finger into a loose corner where the adhesive hadn't stuck. Tearing the letter open, David squeezed it, forcing the envelope to puff open. Turning it upside down, the letter slid out onto the table. David scooped up the tri-folded sheet of paper and unfolded it. "'Dear Mr. Karofsky'…They spelled my name right…'The University of Connecticut is pleased to inform you…' I'm in. I got in."

Kurt leaned over and squeezed David. "Oh my god… _gods_. I'm so happy for you! What's your mascot? What sports are you going to do? What's your major?!"

David blushed, overwhelmed at having the spotlight focused on him. "Ummm…I'll probably stick with football, but they have a _really_ good team. I don't know if I'll make the cut; I didn't apply for a sports scholarship and no recruiters have come to see me play. They're the UConn Huskies. If I don't make football, there are other cool intramurals I can play: ice hockey, flag football, bowling, dodgeball, inner tube water polo-"

"What the _hell_ is inner tube water polo?" It was Paul who asked.

David just shrugged. "I dunno, I saw it on their site. It sounds fun, though."

"What's your major, David? Are you looking at math, accounting, engineering?" Sophie stood behind her husband, who had sat across from David. She rubbed her husband's shoulders as she talked. "I've heard UConn has excellent math and science programs."

David shrugged. "That may be so, but it's not the avenue I'm looking at. UConn also has an excellent animal sciences department. I'm looking at their pre-vet program and livestock program." Kurt looked confused at David. "I still don't intend to be a veterinarian, but I'd like to know how to take care of animals. Mostly farm animals."

Kurt smiled. "That's so _perfect_ for you David. You can play with moo-cows all day." Sophie poured hot water into everyone's teacups. "I can't picture _cows_ in New England. Where do they keep them all? New Haven? Bridgeport?"

David smiled indulgently at his boyfriend. "There are rural areas of New England. There are cows, pigs, chickens, goats, horses, _llamas_, _alpaca_, _ostriches_."

"David, that is _beyond_ perfect for you." Kurt leaned forward and kissed David delicately.

David deepened the kiss momentarily, before pulling back, a slightly bitter look on his face. "You taste like aloe."


	56. A Door Ajar

**Sorry for the delay. I have/had massive writer's block for this. I knew what I wanted to happen, I just wasn't sure _how_ I wanted it to happen.**

**Karomeled gave me some inspiration, though (thank you!)**

**The writer's block should be over, now.**

**xoxoxo**

Kurt arched his back and slid down David's lap, freeing David's no-longer-erect penis from his ass with a lewd _**plop**_. "God, I love this so much." Kurt leaned forward, placing his fists on David's chest as he alternated tensing and relaxing his butt cheeks. He found this exercise helped to alleviate some of the stiffness he felt after having sex with David. "It's going to be so wonderful next year: you and me, sharing an apartment in New York, having unbelievable sex every morning before you teleport off to classes in Connecticut. Incredible."

"That's all I am to you, isn't it? A portable sex toy." David ran his fingers from Kurt's chest, to his naval, to his soft, downy tuft of pubic hair and back up again. He could practically see Kurt's skin goose-pimpling under his touch.

"Nah, that's too vulgar and crass. You're a high-end escort." Kurt rested his head on David's chest, kissing his solar plexus and trying to tongue at David's nipple. "You _'escort'_ me to orgasms." David stroked Kurt's back as they lay basking in the afterglow and watching the clock tick off the minutes till Burt Hummel's usual wake-up time.

"Is Homer coming to college with us?" Kurt buried his head between David's pecks. He'd completely forgotten Pavarotti had been there the whole time….w_atching_ them. He loved the little featherbrain, but it was kind of creepy how lackadaisical his precious pet could be about sex.

"Of course. Homer is my sacred animal, as well as my confidant. I wouldn't leave him behind."

Pavarotti seemed to think that over carefully, before letting out a simple, disappointed, "Oh." He was quiet again as he thought to himself. "Can we have our _own_ televisions?

Kurt rolled his eyes and sighed. He couldn't believe he was having this conversation, with a bird no less, at five o'clock in the morning. "You two need to not be spoiled little brats, so much. You're like two little toddlers. You need to learn to _share_."

Pavarotti harrumphed as he turned around on his birch so that his back was to Kurt and David. Mumbling to himself, Kurt could hear Pavarotti say "I'm not the toddler…_he's_ the big poopy-head."

David smiled at the little canary while stroking Kurt's head affectionately. Homer had asked a similar question the other day when they had discussed the plans for school and living next year. Homer wasn't as upset that Pavarotti would be living with them once he discovered David had no intention of taking Homer to classes with him. "If you really loved me you'd find some way to give me a human body – or at least appearance - so I could attend lectures on philosophy, psychology, theocracy, political science, and" at this point Homer had sighed in a lovelorn fashion, "esotericism." David had promised to 'see what he could do'.

"It's ok, Pav. We'll find fun things for you to do. And I'm sure there are _some_ fun things you and Homer can agree on. Tell you what; I'll make a list of all the fun activities I can think of in Connecticut and New York, or where ever, and you, me, Kurt and Homer can go over the list to see what sounds like fun for all of us. I can always make us invisible or something to take us to the Boston Pops or a concert or something."

Pavarotti seemed to perk up slightly. "_The Beatles_?"

"Uh…" David looked between Pavarotti and Kurt. After a few back and forth glances, he settled his gaze on Kurt. "Would _you_ like to explain why that might be a problem, or should I?"

Kurt chuckled, "Your dad could always arrange it."

"No matter what happens, for the next few years - at least - we're only going to have two of them, whether we're up here or down there."

Kurt shrugged. "We could always introduce Pavarotti to the wonderful world of tribute bands. Anyway, you have fun writing the list, you have to get home now, before my dad wakes up. It's…" Kurt looked at his clock, "5:27 and Dad's alarm should be going off in three minutes." David tilted his head and kissed the top of Kurt's head, which was still resting on his chest. Kurt tilted his head up and returned the kiss as David started getting out of bed.

Kurt smiled privately to himself as he watched David collect his clothing from around the bedroom floor. When David bent over to collect a stray sock, Kurt reached his hand over and pinched David's naked butt cheek, causing David to 'yelp' and straighten out. Kurt, giggling quietly, placed his finger over his lips, reminding David to keep his voice down even as his boyfriend gave him a scolding look. "You just _wait_ until I get my hands on you tonight." With that, David teleported home. It wasn't like Star Trek where there were pretty sparkles floating around in the air as David teleported. Or like on _Hercules: The Legendary Journeys_ where each of the gods got their own unique "disappearance sequence". He just stopped being there, as though he was a television someone had turned off. Kurt sighed before pulling himself out of bed and collecting his pajamas so he could start off his day.

xoxoxo

"Thank you for going food shopping with me. Carol comes sometimes, but she really isn't very knowledgeable about cooking. She doesn't really grasp the concept that certain cuts of meat are better for certain dishes, just as certain types of pasta are better for certain dishes."

"Well, thank _you_ for inviting me to dinner. I absolutely love your cooking…you'll let me help, right?"

"Yep. You picked out an absolutely fine piece of _humanely slaughtered_ tenderloin, so I'll let you be the one to season and brown it." Kurt sealed up the groceries into David's saddlebags and settled in behind him on the bike, fastening his helmet down tight. The weather had made a turn for the better and David wanted to spend as much time on his bike as he could before it turned sour again. That was one of the drawbacks to living in Ohio; you couldn't enjoy motorcycles as much as you could in the southern states. Kurt doubted New York or Connecticut would be much better.

"Are you teasing me for being an animal lover?"

"No, I'm teasing you because my big ol' scary football-playing, son of Hades is just a big, cuddly teddy bear." Kurt squeezed his arms around David's midsection, giving him a tight hug as he revved the engine and put the bike into gear. "You're a big softy."

"All right, if I didn't know any better I'd say you're making fun of my weight." It was hard to hear David over the engine, but David yelled for Kurt's benefit.

"I'm not making fun of your weight. In fact, I think you may have lost a bit _too much_ weight, lately." Kurt tried squeezing at David's no-longer existent love handles to emphasize his point.

"You noticed that, did you?"

"Are you using your shape shifting powers to gradually slim yourself down, or are you doing it the honest way?"

"Six of one, half-dozen of the other?"

"Well, stop. I like you just the way you are and if other people have a problem, they can shove it." David felt himself get warm and flushed. He loved it when Kurt talked like that. He also loved the feeling of Kurt cuddling close to him the way he was at the moment: Kurt's arms wrapped loosely around his waist, his helmeted head resting against his back. There was nothing sexual about it; it was just _comfortable_. Like they were a cute little old married couple. Kind of like his parents. _Ew…bad thought, bad thought, bad thought…_

David eased up on the gas and glided the bike into the Hummel-Hudson driveway, using his toes to push it in the last few inches. Kurt hopped down once it had stopped moving while David held the bike steady for him. When Kurt handed David his helmet, David set about fastening them to the seat while Kurt got out the groceries for dinner. David took the groceries away from his boyfriend so that Kurt could get his keys out and let them in the front door. With both grocery bags held in one hand, David used his free hand to softly tickle the top of Kurt's thigh, causing him to jump. Kurt wheeled around on him, his lips pursed indignantly. David smirked, "What? Revenge for this morning."

Kurt just rolled his eyes and returned to unlocking the door. Completely unsurprisingly, David tickled the back of his leg again. "I swear to the gods, you are the most juvenile…" Kurt had been pushing the door open as he spoke, but he stopped all speech and movement once the door was open all the way. He didn't seem capable of speech…or anything beyond gaping like a fish with his mouth hanging open. "What?"

David pushed passed Kurt, holding out a hand, gesturing Kurt to remain at the door. He remained still and focused for a minute, using his animalistic senses to listen and smell for anyone in the house. Everything appeared completely normal…other than the fact that the place had been completely ransacked. The television was missing; the stand it had been on was overturned, leaving shattered glass sprayed across the floor. The paintings and portraits on the walls had all been either completely removed and thrown to the floor or tilted askew. The hall door was open; everything that had once been contained within was now on the floor, thrown across the back of the sofa and chair, or just flung haphazardly across the room. David heard a small squeak and looked back at Kurt. Kurt's hand was across his nose and mouth. His breathing was stilted and very deliberate: sudden sharp intakes of air followed by quivering exhalations. A sheet of tears had covered his eyes, but hadn't yet started to fall. "Was anyone supposed to be home today?" David was worried for Carol; her work schedule was erratic and if she had been home…

Kurt just shook his head. "Broad daylight…how? Why?"

David led Kurt through the rubble and into the kitchen. The mess in there was significantly less, but the backdoor stood wide open, part of the frame broken from where the lock had been forced to give-way. David sat Kurt down at a stool; he looked about ready to faint. "I'm going to call the cops and your family while I check out the rest of the house, ok? You just stay here. Breathe, Kurt, breathe."

xoxoxo

The passage of several hours hadn't much abated the sense of violation Kurt felt. It wasn't so much the things…things could be replaced. It was the idea that someone, anyone, at any moment, could enter into _his_ home, _his_ safe place, and do what they wished. It was the fact that someone cared so little about anyone but themselves that they would willingly destroy so much of what was not theirs. For what? Kurt's family wasn't rich, far from it. Most of Kurt's "designer" clothes were knockoffs. In fact, the single most valuable item in the house was probably the custom suit Paul had gotten Kurt for Christmas…and that had been damaged in the car crash (though Paul had arranged for a London tailor friend of his to repair it).

Kurt and David had given their statements to the police while the rest of the family tried to inventory what would need to be replaced, repaired and restored. The cops were gone now and Kurt had calmed enough that David and his father allowed him to survey the rest of the damage. Burt had surreptitiously ordered David to keep an eye on Kurt, and then had asked David to stay the night..."make sure Kurt's not too freaked out, you know?"

Finn, being a typical teenaged boy, didn't have much of monetary value. His possessions that were worth any kind of money had no sentimental value, and those with sentimental value had no monetary value (and never the twain shall meet), so he set about trying to straighten the living room and was put in charge of ordering them dinner of some kind, since Kurt really wasn't in the right state of mind to follow recipes or be around sharp cutlery at the moment.

Kurt led David into his bedroom. Neither had been in there, yet. His mattress lay askew on the bed frame. Obviously the thieves believed a teenager with white lace dust ruffles on his bed hid great wealth under his mattress. His closet door was open and all the clothes and shoes cluttered the floor. Hours of organizing everything by purpose, season and style - wasted. He tiptoed passed the debris on the floor heading towards his vanity. His jewelry box was still there, but most of its contents were missing: cufflinks, broaches, necklaces, tiepins and clips, wallet clips, a few tasteful and elegant rings. "The broach your mom got me for Christmas – the cetra - is gone."

"That's ok; it's replaceable. Only you were capable of using its powers, anyway. I'm just glad no one got hurt. Insurance will take care of most of the stuff, my dad can "arrange" for the rest of it to be _serendipitously_ taken care of – you know, "hey look, I won a scratch-off" type stuff." It could have been so much worse, though. What if you had been home? Or your _dad_? Or Finn, or Carol…" David paused; a thought seemed to come to him. "Pavarotti?"

Kurt's face went pale and he fled to the other side of the room where Pavarotti's cage stood seemingly untouched – aside from the cage door being open. "Pavarotti?" Kurt let out the type of whistle you would for a missing dog. There was no response. "Pavarotti? What the hell kind of psychopath steals a _canary?_"

"Maybe he got scared and escaped on his own. I mean…well, no one would _steal_ a bird, that's just stupid. If he escaped, he'll come back; he's smart enough." David left off the 'I think' that flitted around inside his head. "If they…if they killed him, I can just get him back from the Underworld, again."

Kurt didn't seem to hear him, though. He just let out a pain-filled little squeak of a whisper. "Pavarotti."


	57. NYADA

"I've checked; he's not in the Underworld. That means he's still alive somewhere, Kurt." Kurt didn't seem to believe David. David had even taken Kurt to the Underworld so that he could check for himself, but nothing made Kurt feel better.

Kurt pouted. He'd been pouting a lot since Pavarotti had turned up missing. The rest of the Hummel-Hudson clan had tried to be supportive and understanding of Kurt 's loss, but they didn't understand why Kurt was taking the disappearance of _this_ bird so much worse than the _death_ of his first bird. They didn't realize that not only was it the same bird, but now Kurt could actually _talk_ to him occasionally; Pavarotti had long since crossed the threshold from 'pet' to 'friend'. "I don't care. I'd _rather_ he were dead because at least that way I'd know where he is and that he isn't suffering."

Homer sat on the desk beside Kurt's elbow. Homer, with his years of studying psychology straight from the masters had proven better at comforting Kurt than David. "I think dating a god has warped his sense of morality a wee bit."

David was about to shush Homer, but realized Homer had been speaking in the rat form of an Ancient Grecian dialect; Kurt wouldn't have understood him. David could understand and speak all human and animal languages; he just couldn't always _identify_ them. "Kurt, I'm doing what I can to find him. I've asked _all_ the wildlife and pets that live in your area and _none_ of them remember seeing anything."

"Dozens of raccoons, skunks, foxes, squirrels and mice; hundreds of birds; _millions_ of ants and not a single creature remembers anything?" Kurt sounded exhausted. He'd been inconsolable since Pavarotti had been discovered missing. Kurt sat slumped in a desk chair in the empty astronomy classroom, his arm leaning on the accompanying desk. His face was puffy, even though the swelling from the car accident had gone completely away.

David had brought Homer to school (hidden in his book bag), because the rodent was genuinely concerned for the safety of his 'arch nemesis' and wanted to be involved in the search every step of the way. At least that's what he said three days ago, but he _seemed_ to be true to his word. "To be fair," Homer opined, "most animals don't acknowledge anything humans do. They see them and run, see them and freeze, or see them and go back to whatever they were doing. So long as a human doesn't hurt them, they mean little to nothing to animals. The same is especially true of insects and other bugs."

Kurt sniffled a little. "What do your parents say?"

David shrugged. "I talked to them. I tried talking them into asking Hermes – being the god of thieves he'd be able to tell us anything about it – but Dad nixed the idea. He says favoring you so much would probably cause issues."

Kurt snorted. "Like I don't already _have_ issues?"

_**~~~"Kurt Hummel to the office"~~~**_

Both David and Kurt looked up at the intercom as though they would actually _see_ something that would answer their mutual question. "Oh, what now?" Kurt slung his book bag over his shoulder and trudged off to the office, David close at heel. David shoved Homer into own book bag as he followed after. There was a muffled complaint of indignation from Homer, but David couldn't hear it. Sitting in the glass secretarial office outside Principal Figgins' office was Burt Hummel. He didn't look upset, which was good. Kurt pushed the door open, garnering his father's attention. "Dad?"

Burt looked like he'd just come from the garage, his jeans and work shirt covered in grease. David was grateful he'd met them at the main office instead of Ms. Pillsbury's office; he didn't want to think of the emotional breakdown that would have caused. "Hey buddy." Burt held up an envelope. "I figured you could use some good news."

Kurt's eyes lit up as he took the envelope from his father. David didn't see who it was from, but he didn't _need_ to. Kurt and Rachel had been waiting with bated breath for their letters from NYADA for weeks. "You read it?"

Burt shook his head. "No, but you deserve it better than anyone."

David smiled encouragingly at Kurt, his eyes just as bright and excited as Kurt's. "Well, come on. _Open_ it."

Kurt took great pains to open the letter slowly. He didn't want to risk hurting it; if it were ripped, it wouldn't look as nice in an album; he was going to keep _everything_ from NYADA in a scrapbook: the acceptance letter, his class schedules, even his financial aid notices. He slid out the sheet of paper and unfolded it. Biting his lips as he smiled wearily at his dad and David, he began to read aloud:

"Dear Mr. Hummel,

The _N__ew York Academy of the Dramatic Arts _Admissions Committee has completed its evaluation of this year's candidates, and I write with… _sincere regrets_," Kurt's voice faltered, "that we were not able to offer you a place in the class of 2016." Kurt lowered the letter and stared at the wall between his father and David.

David said, "I'm so sorry, Kurt," while Burt said, "Oh, Kurt."

Both David and Burt tried to take Kurt into a supportive hug, but Kurt held out his hands, warding them off. "It's…_ok_. I'm getting used to disappointment. Now if you'll excuse me…I need to go to class."

David and Burt exchanged worried glances. "I'll keep an eye on him." Burt nodded slowly at David, before leaving the office.

xoxoxo

Kurt didn't look at Paul or any of the girls as he moved passed them heading towards the back room. He didn't want to talk to anyone, didn't want to make eye contact, didn't want to be acknowledged in any way. Paul looked after Kurt, a wary look of concern in his eyes. David followed into the store not a few moments later. "Did you two fight?"

David shook his head. "No…he was rejected from his top school."

xoxoxo

File paperwork. Scan Paperwork. Fill orders. Place orders. Anything to get his mind off of…well, off of _everything_. Nothing was going right, lately. He didn't bother looking up as he heard the door quietly open and close. He knew it was David. "I…uh, well I told my dad what happened. He said, if you want, he's got some friends at Harry Winston and Buccellati. Within five years you could be on the fast track, glass elevator to being CEO with either one."

Kurt shook his head. "No. Thank you. I'd rather _earn_ my placement wherever I am. Though I must admit, it's nice having a boyfriend who can _pronounce_ Buccellati, let alone get me a job there. I just," Kurt put aside the order form he had been working on, "I had hoped _so desperately_ to get into NYADA. It's such an… _amazing_ school. I wanted to feel amazing for once. Like I'm special."

"You're _very_ special, Kurt."

Kurt shook his head. "No. The only thing remarkable about me is that I'm dating a _god_. I want to be remarkable for who _I am_. Not by dint of who I'm dating. It's like Victoria Gotti. The _only_ reason she's famous is because her _father_ was famous. And then she got a _reality television show_."

"I don't know who Victoria Gotti is, but if you want, I'll marry you and maybe someday you can have your _own_ reality television show. Hey! Instead of _Jersey Shore_ it could be _Asphodel Shore_. I'm sure the nymphs would absolutely love it. You guys can go shopping all day and complain about what an ass I am and how you only stick with me because the sex is so amazing."

Kurt couldn't stifle the laugh that escaped from his chest. "You are too much. And if you were _listening_, you would have heard that that _isn't_ what I want. I want to be famous for my own accomplishments. Or at least recognized."

"Kurt, you are _incredible_, in every way shape and form. But we're still teenagers. You have your whole life to make something of yourself. And from what I've seen, the younger you get famous, the more fucked up you get. Young celebrities have no idea how to handle it and hit the wall. You? You'll probably start getting famous in your early thirties and then sixty years from now, everyone will still think of you as the timeless icon you've always been." Kurt, even though he still felt crummy, smiled. "Those dumbasses that got into NYADA? They're going to work their asses off like trained circus ponies and then burn out before they're good for _anything."_

Kurt leaned in to kiss David, but sneezed before he could get too close. "Ugh, and now I have a damn cold coming on!" Kurt groaned and went back to his paperwork.

"One sneeze does not make a cold."

"No, but I could feel my sinuses getting stuffier and stuffier all day and my chest feels heavy. By this time tomorrow I'm going to be a snuffly, snotty, snorting mess."

"And I'm still going to want to kiss you." David leaned in towards Kurt and kissed him slowly and delicately. "You're just stressed lately and that's wrecking your immune system. Go home and get some rest. Dad'll understand."

Kurt shook his head. "No, I need the money to pay for the college I'm not going to."

David rolled his eyes. "He'll give you sick pay. Now _git_."

xoxoxo

Kurt treated himself to unsalted chicken broth for dinner before cuddling into his nice warm comforter for the night. He only hoped that his cold would end quickly.

With his current luck, he should have known that wouldn't be the case.


	58. Cursed

Dave had been randomly paired with Quinn for a duet that week. They were discussing doing "Take Care" with David doing Drake's parts and Quinn doing Rihanna's parts. It wasn't his dream song or his ideal partnership, but he thought it would be fairly simple enough; minimal work for the week so he could get his assignment done without too much stress. Quinn wanted them to wear their typical school attire for the performance while Dave wanted them to at least attempt to dress the part…perhaps Kurt was finally starting to rub off on him a bit?

David was trying to describe Rihanna's style of dress to Quinn (since when did _David_ know how to describe fashion?) and trying to think of what she owned that would fit their number when he felt a hand come down on his shoulder. He turned around and had to glance up to see Finn. "Hey, what's up?"

"Do _you_ want to try talking to him? I'm half a second away from calling Burt."

David narrowed his eyes, "Kurt? What's Kurt done now?" Kurt wasn't much of a troublemaker, but every now and then he did things that were just… _odd_. David almost expected Kurt to be wearing some sort of outrageous outfit that was just begging the wrong people to take notice of him and cause problems. Instead of answering David, Finn just jerked his head in the direction over his own shoulder. Looking around Finn, David spotted Kurt struggling with his locker. His clothes looked normal…by Kurt's standards. His bangs were gelled in a little swept up spike doo; that was pretty typical for Kurt. "What's wrong?"

"Go _look_ at him; talk to him a minute. Then come back here and tell me nothing's wrong."

David glanced between Finn, Quinn and Kurt, confusion painted plainly across his features, as he went up to Kurt. As he came up behind Kurt, he slid his arms around his waste and kissed the back of his head. "Hey, Baby."

"Hey, Dave." Kurt twisted in David's arms so that they were facing each other. David instantly saw what Finn was talking about. Kurt's eyes were red and watery, he had pancake-ed on his makeup, obviously in an attempt to cover up the fact that his nose was red and raw looking. His voice was high up in his throat; nasally.

David rolled his eyes. "Kurt, why did you come to school if you're still sick?"

"Uhm not thick."

Kurt shook his head, while David nodded his, "Oh, yes, you are. And you are going home and back to bed, whether you like it or not."

"Uhm not thick en uhm not going home" Kurt clipped the word 'home' so that it sounded more like the French word 'homme', "I _hate_ mithing school."

"I'm sure you _do_ hate missing school, but you need to go home and you need to go to sleep. I'll take you there," David lowered his hands to Kurt's hips and swayed him back and forth like they were dancing in place, "I'll make you some homemade chicken noodle soup, I'll tuck you in and I'll stay with you until you fall asleep. Would that make you happy?"

"Yeth, but I thtill don' wanna go to bed. I don' wanna mith school."

"You're going to miss school whether you like it or not, but I can collect all your work for you. It's not like you're going to miss much anyways. You're smarter than everyone else here. And if you don't rest today, you'll be out of school even longer."

Kurt leaned against David, placing his head against David's chest and relaxing in his arms. He really did feel sapped of all his energy and it was hard to breathe; one of his nostrils was completely stuffed up and the other was partially blocked so his nose whistled a little as he breathed. He was also feeling a bit cold, yet stuffy. His head felt heavy, but at the same time, it felt like it was filled with air. It was fluffy, but his neck was just too weak to hold it up properly. "Ok, leth go home."

xoxoxox

Dave's own mother always kept homemade chicken stock on hand along with a treasure trove of fresh vegetables and varied meats and poultry, so cooking up the chicken noodle soup was a quick task once he had gotten back to the Hummel's house with Kurt. He had brought Kurt home, settled him down on the couch so he could keep an eye on him while cooking, had quickly teleported home for the ingredients he'd need and come back in the twinkling of an eye to take care of his little love. Dave let the stock warm up on the stove while he chopped up the vegetables on the kitchen counter. David didn't care too much for vegetables in his chicken noodle soup, but Kurt did, so David made sure there were plenty of carrots, celery, onion, garlic, thyme and parsley.

He could hear light snoring coming from the living room, so he poked his head in real quick to make sure Kurt was all right. Kurt was curled up on his side, a crocheted afghan draped across him, with one arm curled under his head, the other hanging straight out over the edge of the couch.

David returned to the kitchen and added everything to the boiling stock. Cooking it took less time than preparing the vegetables and the chicken, so it was done within a few minutes. David poured out a heaping helping for Kurt, leaving some behind on the stove for himself. Blowing on the soup as he entered into the living room, David used his foot to nudge an ottoman over towards the couch. Seating himself upon it, he lightly shook Kurt. "Wakey, wakey. Lunch is ready."

"Thith ith breafath for me. I couldn' eat nuffin thith morning." Slowly, Kurt sat up on the couch with David's help. The movement caused sharp pain in Kurt's head; it felt like his brain was rattling around loose inside his skull.

"And yet you still thought it would be a good idea to go to school? You want to infect the rest of the student body with your _plague_?"

Kurt gave him a weak smile. "If I'm mitherable, why thould anyone elth be happy?"

David spooned out a tablespoon of the soup for Kurt, making sure there were a lot of noodles, chicken and vegetables on it. "You think Paul or your mom could make me better?"

David snorted. "My mother and grandmother would just load you down with herbal remedies and chicken noodle soup. You're better off with a Tylenol and some sleep. As for my dad? I don't think you want any cures _he's_ peddling."

Kurt smiled as he swallowed down the soup. It hurt to swallow. And his throat was starting to feel scratchy; that wasn't a good sign. He made sure to chew the food as much as possible to ease the effort of swallowing the food, but his jaw got tired after not too long. His stomach was also starting to get a bit achy and he was exhausted. He was only able to manage about a cup of the soup before he gave up on the effort.

Seeing that Kurt had quit, David placed the soup aside and scooped him up in his arms. Kurt wrapped his arms limply around David neck and nuzzled against him. David was warm and comfy. Kurt was cold and ouchy. "You are burning up, Kurt. I think you have the flu."

"Uhm cold. En I don' ge'the flu. Auh nebber had da flu before."

"That doesn't mean you're immune. And whether or not you feel cold, you are _hot. _I think I'm gonna keep an eye on you until your family gets home. I'll be your own little nursemaid." David tried balancing Kurt in one arm while he pulled back Kurt's comforter and sheets on his bed with his other hand. He placed Kurt down and tucked him in.

Kurt weakly pulled the blankets tighter around himself, cocooning himself in their warmth. "Am I curthed?"

"Curthed?" Kurt didn't respond, so David turned the word around in his head until he could translate it into proper English. "Cursed? Well…curses _are_ possible, but that's usually the result of a single god picking on you. I think you just have cruddy luck lately."

"Mebbe a god ith picking on me."

"Well, a car crash would probably be something that _Athena_ would do, since she's the goddess of chariots…although, Hephaestus is the god of technology, so maybe cars fall under that. Having your house broken into would be Hermes' domain. Being ill would probably be the nosoi – not Apollo like a lot of people think. Apollo cures disease, he doesn't cause it." Kurt was still awake, if his open eyes were to be believed, but he didn't respond. "Apollo, Hephaestus and Athena are all your patrons; I don't think they'd gang up on you."

"So the Fates hate me."

"No one hates you, Kurt. No one _could_ hate you."

"Tyche?"

"Goddess of fortune and luck? You've been doing your homework. But no, I don't think so. She specializes in natural disasters and small windfalls." Kurt nodded and closed his eyes, too tired to continue the conversation. David kissed Kurt's slightly sweaty brow and stroked his hair until he fell asleep.

xoxoxo

David waited until Kurt had been asleep for an hour or so before risking leaving him. He went downstairs and fixed himself a bowl of the soup. He cleaned up the kitchen once he had finished eating before returning to Kurt's room. He took the liberty of exploring Kurt's room a little while Kurt slept; Kurt's room had been put completely back together since the break-in. Pavarotti's cage had a small black ribbon tied around one of the bars; a symbol of Kurt's mourning. Pavarotti most certainly wasn't dead – David had checked the Underworld, again – but that didn't stop Kurt from grieving for his feathered friend.

David looked over Kurt's bookshelf; despite being well-read, Kurt didn't own many books. There were a few biographies: Maria von Trapp, Queen Noor, and Alexander McQueen; a few informational books: _Reader's Digest Complete Guide to Sewing_ and _Reader's Digest Complete Guide to Needlework_; and a few fictional works: _Totally Joe_, _Am I Blue_? and, surprisingly, The Lord of the Rings trilogy. David grabbed _The Fellowship of the Ring_ and sat back down beside Kurt's bed.

He had gotten pretty far in the book by the time anyone got home. Finn was the first one, but David didn't feel comfortable leaving Kurt alone with him. Kurt hadn't done anything beyond whimper quietly and shift a bit since he'd gone to sleep, but Finn couldn't be expected to be responsible with a _cactus_, much less a sick person, so David stuck around. Every time Kurt fidgeted or fussed in his sleep, David stroked his head until he fell back asleep.

xoxoxo

Dave had decided that _The Fellowship of the Ring_ was a test of patience (seriously, when was anything interesting supposed to happen?) by the time Burt came home. Burt quietly entered into Kurt's room, making sure not to disturb Kurt's sleep. "He feeling any better?" David shook his head. "He was sick yesterday, but I figured it was just a cold, or something."

"I think it's the flu. He sounds snuffly and hoarse; he's having trouble eating; he's burning up, but says he feels cold."

Burt nodded, "Yep, sounds like the flu." Burt approached his son, cautiously, and stroked the moist locks of hair away from Kurt's forehead. "You been with him all day?"

"Kurt forced Finn to take him to school, but I talked him into letting me take him home. I made him lunch-slash-breakfast and he's been passed out since around ten this morning."

"He sleeping good?"

David shrugged. "He's probably a bit dehydrated from sweating so much and I think the fever is making him uncomfortable, but he's sleeping pretty ok, I'd say."

xoxoxo

Everything was dark and scary. He was all alone, he could see that, but he could _feel_ someone else there. He felt like he'd always been alone in this large, dark, empty place, always alone and yet always watched. Watched by someone who wanted to hurt him; someone who wanted him to hurt.

For the first time in his life, Kurt wanted to be completely alone; yet even though he was, he wasn't.


	59. Far From OK

**The book excerpt is from Edith Hamilton's _Mythology_. It's no longer the most accurate work, but it is (probably) the single most respected compilation I've ever come across. **

**And to MsWharton: Yes...but oh so much more than that, as well.**

**xoxoxo**

Burt knocked softly at Kurt's door. He didn't want to disturb him too much, but at the same time he didn't want to barge in on him if he was changing. When there was no response from the other side of the door, Burt quietly pushed the door open, calling out his son's name softly before he poked his head around the door to check on his boy. "Kurt? Buddy?" With still no response, Burt piped up a bit louder. "How you doin' today, kiddo?" By now, Burt was all the way in the bedroom, and could see that his son was still deeply entrenched in sleep. The room was dark with the shades drawn tightly over the windows. The entire room smelled musty: like stale sweat. Burt sat himself on the edge of the bed, careful not to shift too much and disturb Kurt. The blankets were moist from Kurt's sweat; Kurt's skin was pale and peaked, his lips dry and parched. Kurt's eyes flicked back and forth beneath the lids; whatever he was dreaming, it must be intense.

Burt placed a hand on Kurt's back and rubbed gentle little circles. "Buddy? Come on, wake up. You need to eat and drink." Kurt moaned, low and soft. "I know buddy; it sucks to be sick. But if you don't get up once in a while, your body's gonna hurt that much worse when you're better." Kurt whimpered again as Burt continued to stroke his back. "I made you some instant mashed potatoes – like your ma did when you got sick when you were little. They're still on the stove downstairs, keeping warm. I'm gonna stick with you and take care of you all day, all right?" Kurt shifted slightly. "How about I draw you a nice warm bath and you can soak for a bit while I get you fresh sheets and air out the room a bit? That'll make you nice and comfy. Then, once you're done in the bath, I can bring you the mashed potatoes and some water and then you can go right back to sleep. How does that sound?" Kurt whimpered again, but started to make some kind of effort at getting up. "No, no. you stay right here. I'll come get you once the bath is full."

It was painful for Burt to see his son like this. Kurt was generally pretty healthy. He'd gotten the sniffles a few times as a kid, a couple ear infections (probably from water getting in his ears due to all his bubble baths), and the typical childhood illnesses: chicken pox, croup, impetigo. Nothing serious, and nothing Burt didn't know how to handle. This was different though. Kurt very obviously had a fever. He wasn't eating, was barely drinking, he didn't seem to have any real awareness of the world around him (during the brief moments he was awake) and he was obviously in pain, if the whimpers and moans were anything to go by.

He adjusted the temperature controls in the bath so that the water ran warm, but not hot. Having felt how hot Kurt's skin was, Burt wanted to make a nice cool bath for Kurt, but the few times Kurt had spoken since Burt got home the previous evening had been to complain about how cold he was. He swirled his fingers around in the water, testing the temperature. Kurt used to have a small toy tug boat when he was little with a thermometer built into the hull so that Burt and Elizabeth could make sure the water wasn't too hot for a toddler. It had been so long since Burt had to think of such simple things like making sure the temperature in the bath wasn't too high or too low. Kurt had been self-sufficient for so long it was very strange to have to take care of him; in fact, Burt was more accustomed to _Kurt_ taking care of _him_.

When the tub looked full enough, Burt cut off the water flow and returned to Kurt's bedroom. It looked like Kurt had attempted to get out of bed on his own; he was half in, half out of his blankets; his right arm and shoulder were over the side of the bed, his head precariously close to hanging over the edge. Kurt stared dazedly at the wall, unblinking, his eyes unfocused. "Come on, buddy." Burt placed an arm under Kurt's knees and his other arm behind Kurt's shoulders. It took almost no effort to lift him; though, if Kurt was healthy and in his right mind, he'd probably be yelling at his father for "overexerting" himself. Kurt felt like a rag-doll in his arms; he was just a limp weight. Kurt rested his head against his father's arm, but even that proved to be almost too much effort.

When they got into the bathroom, Burt placed Kurt down on the fluffy water-mold-mildew resistant bathmat. He tried to help Kurt with his pajamas (had David changed him sometime yesterday before leaving?), but Kurt weakly batted his hand away. "No."

"You ok on your own, bud?" Kurt nodded. "Ok, I'm gonna leave the bathroom door open a crack, while I change your sheets and comforter. If I talk to you, answer please. I just want to make sure you don't drown or pass out or anything. All right?"

"K." He returned to the bedroom and immediately opened up the shades and the windows. The frosty outdoors air would do wonders to clear out the smell of sickness from the bedroom a little.

Burt had already stripped most of the bed down by the time he heard the slosh of water that indicated Kurt had managed to pull himself up enough to get into the bathtub. Balling up the comforter, Burt placed it by the door. He'd have to send it to a drycleaners; it wouldn't fit in the wash and he didn't want to simply let it air dry. Burt wasn't a doctor or anything, but he was pretty sure whatever Kurt had might be able to live for a few days in his blankets. He didn't want to risk Kurt re-infecting himself. As for the sheets, he could run a load once Kurt had fallen back asleep. He started to collect the sheets from off the bed and felt a wet spot. Against his better judgment, Burt sniffed the area: urine. Kurt was sicker than he thought if he had been able to sleep through wetting himself. It wasn't much, but enough to magnify Burt's worries. This couldn't be the common flu. He was sure of it. As he carried the load down to the laundry closet, he decided against ever mentioning his discovery to Kurt; his son was far too proud to ever be able to live down such an instance.

Grabbing fresh sheets and a comforter from out of the linen closet, along with some cleaning chemicals, Burt returned to Kurt's room. He ran his hands over the bare mattress and decided that the wetness must not have penetrated through the sheets, so it wouldn't need any additional cleaning. He squirted it down with Fabreeze though, just to kill off the smell of sweat a little. Burt had secured the fitted sheet and was busy tucking in the corners of the top sheet when Kurt appeared in the doorway, practically buried in his bathrobe, with Burt's own bathrobe layered over Kurt's. "Hey buddy, almost done here."

"I kept fallin' athleep." Kurt headed into the bedroom, taking slow, wobbly, calculated steps.

"I kinda figured you might. Why don't you sit a second? I'll finish up with the comforter and then I can carry you downstairs for some breakfast." Burt pulled out Kurt's vanity chair for him and steered him by the arm over to the seat.

"Ith's cold in here."

"Yeah, I know it is. I opened up the windows to air out the room. Hold tight and I'll take you downstairs; it's warm down there. Then, while you're eating, I can get the space heater out of the garage and set it up in here so you have a nice, warm bedroom to return to." Kurt didn't respond, he just pulled the bathrobe tighter around himself.

xoxoxo

Kurt labored down a few measly bites of his mashed potatoes and was practically forced by Burt to finish off a glass of water.

It all came back up into the kitchen sink a few minutes later.

Burt placed a large, metal mixing bowl next to Kurt's bed, just in case, before tucking his son in for the day. "You want me to get you anything?"

Kurt shook his head. "Will you weed to me?"

Burt's eyes went a bit wide at the suggestion. Even when Kurt was little, he'd never read much to him. Elizabeth had read to him until he was old enough to read; then Elizabeth had made him read to her so he could practice. "Uh, sure. What?"

"Muh backpack."

Kurt's school satchel sat by his bedroom door, right where David had left it when they got home yesterday. Rifling through it for a minute, Burt examined the spine of each book; it was probably safe to say Kurt wasn't expecting him to read _Algebra II_, _Oui, je parle Français!, World Geography, _or _Prentice Hall Literature: the American Experience_, so he grabbed the only remaining book: a collection of mythology stories. Burt was slow sometimes; little of what his son said to him made any sense, especially when he was talking about Broadway or fashion. But he wasn't a complete idiot; he listened to his son. He knew his son's likes and dislikes and he knew that this year Kurt had taken up a sudden and surprising interest in Greek mythology. He assumed, correctly, that it had something to do with his relationship with David. He'd heard the two talking and knew that the Karofsky kid was pretty intelligent when it came to mythology. "Anything in particular you want me to read?" Kurt shook his head. Flipping through the table of contents, he saw something Kurt might be interested in, "How 'bout 'Cupid and Psyche'? I know how you like romance and all that, and 's'almost Valentine's Day." Kurt managed a weak smile. "Ok, then."

"_There was once a king who had three daughters, all lovely maidens, but the youngest, Psyche, excelled her sisters so greatly that beside them she seemed a very goddess consorting with mere mortals…"_

xoxoxo

The comforter was folded and sitting by the front door. The other sheets were just about ready to come out of the dryer when David came over. "School's not out yet, you skipping?"

"Yessir. I had to check on Kurt." Burt had to give the kid credit for not lying to him. "It's only study hall and math, though. I don't think anyone will miss me." Burt nodded, agreeing with the reasoning. He knew Dave was good at math. _Damned_ good, in fact. "How's Kurt doing?"

"He's thrown up about four times, can't even keep water down, has aches and pains all over, still has the chills, has a fever that's starting to worry me, and is sweating worse than Finn after a football game." Burt handed off one side of the warm, dry sheets to Dave, prompting the teen to help him fold.

"How high's the fever?"

"High enough that I keep checking the Internet to see if I should be taking him to the hospital. Any higher than it is right now and that's where he's going. It was 103.7 last I checked and that was about two hours ago." Burt took the folded sheet away from David and placed it into the pile of clean laundry before handing him the fitted sheet. Both men had issues coordinating their attack and figuring out how to fold it, so by the time it was done, it looked more like an origami swan that got hit by a truck than a folded sheet.

"Has he been awake at all? Is it ok if I go see him?

Burt nodded and shrugged simultaneously. "I don't see a problem with that; you being around will make him happy. Just know this, though: you get whatever he's got, it's on your own head." Burt forced on his best 'stern-father face' but couldn't really pull it off all that well with David. As much as Burt hated to admit it, he liked the kid. Kurt liked David; David treated Kurt right; and he was an intelligent, kind kid, now that all his teenage angst was behind him.

xoxoxo

David lay down on the bed next to Kurt, careful not to touch him or shift the bed too much. After a minute or so, Kurt's eyes fluttered open. There was a glossy sheen to Kurt's eyes and the area around them was swollen. "Hey babe."

"David." Kurt, despite being in obvious pain at the movement, scooted closer to David and pressed his forehead against David's chest.

"How are you doing?"

"Tired."

David smiled and snickered a little. "Tired? You've been asleep for over twenty-four hours. That's like me at Thanksgiving; I binge on turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, green beans, potatoes and pie and then when everyone else is relaxing watching television or talking, I'm sneaking back into the kitchen for seconds."

"S'not _good_ sleep. I hurt and I keep havin' nigh'mares."

"Well, _that's_ not good." Ever so gently, David reached out his fingertips to stroke at Kurt's hair. "I know you don't care for me invading your dreams, but if you'd like, tonight I can be there with you, and make sure everything is ok. Would you like that?"

"You so good t'me.


	60. Once Upon a Midnight Dreary

The world was that dingy sort of backlit darkness you only see in horror movies or live theatre, where the only things that are illuminated are the things the director wants you to see. That would have been fine and well if this was a stage production or a movie, but it wasn't. It was his boyfriend's dream, or rather, nightmare. A damp chill hung in the air, numbing David through and sending wracking shivers through his arms and back. A low persistent moan droned incessantly. It sounded like the whimpering of a small child. "Kurt?" The moaning got louder. David followed the sounds through the grayness of the world until he was able to find the source of the sound.

Kurt sat on the floor, on his knees, his back to David, wearing nothing but his underwear: an unusual occurrence for the teen who usually preferred to keep fully covered at all times, rarely so much as baring his arms. His body started and stuttered as he moved at some unseen task, his hands moving furiously if the jostling of his shoulders was anything to go by. A high-pitched sobbing moan escaped Kurt.

David kneeled down beside him, placing his hand on Kurt's shoulder. "Hey, Kurt, what's wro…_holy shit_!" David fell backwards, in shock at what he saw. Kurt was clawing frantically at his arms and hands, marring the flesh and slicing chunks of it off with his fingernails. That was fine; the torn and flayed flesh was absolutely fine compared to what was left exposed by the absence of skin. David had a strong stomach, always had, but this…_this_…

Buried within Kurt's exposed muscles, beneath where the fallen flesh should have been, were wriggling, writhing maggots. As Kurt continued to scratch at his hands and arms, the maggots would fall to the floor, and then disappear since they fell out of Kurt's immediate perception of the world. What maggots fell, were instantly replaced by more maggots crawling up through the muscles and tendons. One of Kurt's fingers dug between the muscles on the inside of Kurt's wrist, pulling out scores of the yellowish-white, tubular creepy-crawlies. Technically, those disgusting little creatures fell into David's domain, but at the moment he would have been perfectly fine with all of them going extinct.

"Kurt…It's ok Kurt, it's just a nightmare. Just a nightmare." David stroked Kurt's biceps, he could feel the maggots squirming beneath the un-mutilated skin on Kurt's upper arms.

His touch prompted Kurt to starts scratching frantically at the area David had just caressed. Blood was caked around his cuticles and underneath his fingernails. "There's so many of them. They just keep…oh god, they itch, so bad."

"I could watch this for hours." David wheeled around on the floor and found himself staring up at someone he knew. Yes…as David stared at him, his appearance changed into the visage of someone else he knew, and again, and again. His appearance was fluid, never remaining the same. Each time his face mutated, it was into the face of someone else David knew. After a few changes, David realized the pattern: the face of a teacher that had belittled him for his inability to deal with other children when he was in elementary school; a coach that had berated him, in middle school, calling him fat and stupid; a cheerleader who had humiliated him as a freshmen for not being able to "get it up" for her; Thanatos, the god of death…they were the faces of people he was afraid of. "You should have been here half an hour ago, I had all his friends force feeding him slugs. You should have seen the way he cried and gagged." Looking at this man kept David frozen in fear. He felt like a deer in the headlights; he couldn't force himself to move. "Last night you cornered him in the locker room, stripped him naked and forced yourself on him…sadly, he was more mortified of the damage you did to his clothes than your actions against him. That particular dream used to frighten him quite a bit, but not so much anymore: so sad. Honestly, if it weren't for the damage you did to his clothes, I think he would have rather enjoyed your brutality. You certainly have corrupted this, once pure, little whelp."

"I…who _are_ you?" It was a stupid question; David knew exactly who he was, he just wanted his confirmation.

"To the likes of _his_ kind," The man nodded towards Kurt, "I was once called Phobetor. To your kind, our kind, I am known as Icelus: god of nightmares; son of _Nyx_, the night; son of _Erebu_s, the dark; brother of Hypnos, Thanatos, Geras, Morpheus, Phantasos. And _you_, are a pathetic little infant who has intruded on my domain once too often."

Steeling himself against his fear of the god of nightmares, David licked his lips and stood. "I am David Karofsky – _Zagreus_ – god of domesticated animals and pestilent creatures; son of Hades, god of the Underworld - _your master_; son of Persephone, goddess of spring and living embodiment of rebirth. I was given permission to control the dreams of the mortal Kurt Hummel by the god Morpheus, your brother."

Icelus waved his hand through the air, dismissing David's statement. The skin warped and changed as the rest of Icelus's body took on another form. "I care not what you do in _dreams. _Dreams are Morpheus's domain; he can set whatever conditions he chooses. But this is a nightmare, and nightmares are _my_ domain."

"Yeah? Well Kurt's my _boyfriend_." David grabbed hold of David's shoulder and forced the scene to warp and alter, replacing the nightmare with a dreamscape of his own choosing. The darkness melted away revealing David's dream-palace that he had created and shared with Kurt all those months ago.

Kurt blinked and looked around as realization slowly returned to him. "David?" Kurt rubbed his hands over his arms: they were healed and maggot-free, but the sensation remained with Kurt subconsciously.

David leaned down next to Kurt and wrapped him in his arms. "It's ok, Kurt. It's over. It was just a nightmare." Kurt clung to David, his fingers digging into David's back, terrified of losing him.

"Awww…how precious. Too bad it doesn't work like that." Icelus appeared before David and instantly the room started dissolving back into darkness.

David tried to focus, to force the dream to hold fast and remain, but Icelus was stronger. David held Kurt firmly, trying desperately to hold on to Kurt, but he could feel Kurt being physically ripped from his arms. The world got darker and darker until all David could see was black; he couldn't feel Kurt anymore. "Kurt? Kurt! _KURT!_"

David sat up straight in bed, panting out Kurt's name…"Kurt?...Kurt?" As he mind and body fully woke up, he realized he was no longer sleeping and he had been kicked out of Kurt's nightmare. In the gentle glow of the room, David could see Homer in his cage, stretching and blinking up wearily at David. David didn't even wait to address the confused rat; he stumbled out of bed, tripping in his blankets as he clambered across the floor. Throwing his bedroom door open, he ran down the stairs and rounded the corner; he pushed open his parent's door with such force that it slammed against the wall. "Dad!"

The noise David had created just getting to his parent's bedroom had already intruded upon their sleep and they were slowly waking up. His cry to his father though hastened the process and they both appeared wide-awake. "David? What's wrong?"

"Icelus – He's torturing Kurt."

"Icelus?" his father still seemed groggy from sleep, but he slowly recalled his distant cousin. "It's a nightmare, David. People – mortals _and_ gods – have nightmares. They happen. It's nothing."

"No, Dad, you don't get it, Icelus is _torturing_ Kurt. It's not just a simple nightmare; he's singling out Kurt to _torture_ him…because of _me_ I think."

His mother seemed to have a better understanding of the situation. "How do you know this, David. Were you dreamwalking?"

"Well, yeah, but Morpheus said–"

"David," Paul put his hand up to silence David. "You shouldn't be intruding on another god's domain – with or without their permission. And nightmares are _not_ Morpheus's domain. He can't give you permission to be there."

"But Kurt–"

"_Enough_, David." David shrunk away, he wasn't used to his father raising his voice and he certainly wasn't used to being on the receiving end of his father's ire. "This doesn't _concern_ you. Kurt already gets _enough_ special treatment just because he dates you. I'm not going to step on another god's toes just to appease you. Kurt's sick, _very sick_ from what I've heard. People have nightmares when they're sick. It's nothing new. He'll get better. Meanwhile, if you go pushing around gods, trying to tell them how to run _their own_ domains, you won't be doing Kurt any favors."

David's shoulders sunk down. "Everything has been happening to Kurt lately…bad luck shouldn't _work_ like that. Can you…can you ask around? Find out if anything is going on?"

Paul was quite as he thought, Sophie watching him to see what he'd say. "I'll talk to Hermes, see what he says. I promise you, though, it's _nothing_."

David nodded and returned to his bedroom, feeling slightly defeated. Sophie continued to watch her husband appraisingly. "It isn't nothing, is it?"

Paul shook his head. "I don't think so."


	61. Blame Game

"So…Kurt Hummel."

Hermes raised and dropped his shoulder and puffed out his lower lip contemplatively. "Kurt Hummel. Your son's squeaky toy…what about him?"

Paul and Hermes stood on the balcony outside Hades' personal chambers in the Underworld. In lieu of the pastel skies of an early morning rising sun, the sky was tinged red and orange with the fires of the river Phlegethon. Large fingers of flame licked up at the sky, threatening any who would dare to approach and trapping those who were already passed their fiery shores. Instead of going to the jewelry store this morning, Paul had called for a meeting with his old friend to find out what he knew about the current events surrounding Kurt. He had wined and dined Hermes, first, but now it was time to get down to business. "What do you know about him?"

Hermes shook his head. "He's dating _your_ son and working for _you_; I imagine you know a bit more about him than I do." Hermes raised his glass of wine to his lips and sipped delicately, anticipating Paul's predictable reply.

"You know damned well what I'm talking about."

Leaving his glass on the railing, Hermes raised his hands in the air defensively. "All right, all right. You want the SparkNotes version or the _War and Peace_ version?" Paul's look was impassive as he tried to steel himself for what he might hear. "Long story short, Pelops squealed about how much you, your kid, your wife and your…" Hermes gestured vaguely in front of him, trying to select the right word.

"Mother-in-law."

"…_sister_ have been favoring David. Several of us thought it would be fun to pick on him a bit."

Paul raised an eyebrow. "Several? How many is 'several'?"

"According to National Geographic's style guide, more than two, but less than many." Paul didn't look amused. "All right, I'll give you the _War and Peace_ version. Pelops found out about you resurrecting Kurt. He was worried David might use Kurt the way that Poseidon used him; he's touchy about gods fucking around with mortals. I mean, it's completely understandable considering how the gods screwed over his family generation after generation. Anyway, he went to a few gods and told them about what happened, expecting them to feel horrible for Kurt – yeah, like _that'll_ happen – Anyway, those that heard weren't pleased. What _you_ did…that _alone_ was a horrible breach of your _own_ ethics. Then shit kept piling up. He's your little golden child: your own fucking Heracles. A couple of us wanted to take out a bit of pent-up aggression on him; you know, a little fun and games? Then there were of a couple of us who thought it would be a little fun hazing; give Romeo a taste of what he should expect if he wants to get involved with this fucking nut-fest family."

"You keep saying 'we'."

Hermes pursed his lips to the side and looked away from Paul, off into the distance. Beyond the fires of the river, he could see Tartarus. After this conversation with Paul, he'd have to head over there: watch a few assholes get tortured to feel better about what had happened. "Artemis was the first, really. She wanted him to hurt a little: suffer because you saved _him_, but not Orion. Then I had a little fun with the robbery…it was just fun; _that's all_. The muses – I guess they were probably having a bit of fun, as well; they aren't the vindictive type. They probably thought it was a huge joke. Icelus of course is just an asshole. As for the nosoi…Apollo wanted to warn Kurt away from getting involved with gods; he told the nosoi to do as they pleased."

"So that's all? Just some fun and petty animosity?"

Hermes avoided Paul's gaze again. Using his nails to pick at his cuticles; he was slow to respond. "That's how it was supposed to be. But the nosoi and Icelus…they're taking shit too far. And since Apollo told the nosoi they could do as they pleased, he can't control them. He can't reign them back in."

"So what's Kurt sick with?"

Hermes laughed a cold, dry laugh: a single '_Ha!'_ "Common cold, influenza, tuberculosis, the plague, leukemia, small pox, Ebola – you name it. He could have anything and everything. Apollo wrote them a blank check."

"To what end?"

"To _what_ end? _The_ end probably." Paul felt his heart hurt, a single twinge of pain and regret. But reflecting on his feelings, he was shocked to find that he didn't only hurt for his son, but also for _Kurt_. Kurt and David had only been together for a few months, but in that short amount of time, he had become an integral part of the Karofsky family; they all adored the mortal boy. "I suppose David could turn him into a bunny rabbit or something, make him a sacred animal. It's not like it would be the first time a god turned their lover into a plant or animal to save them from death. Kurt could be a new type of rabbit or something…a fastidiously clean rabbit that changes colors depending on its mood, with super soft fur that craftspeople would prize for knitting and cro-"

"Will you shut up about rabbits, already?"

Hermes ducked his head, looking down over the side of the balcony. Far down on the ground he could see nymphs tending to Persephone's gardens and orchards. A memory stirred. "Look, Paul, it wasn't supposed to go this far. I'm very sorry for everything that's happened." Hermes held up his fist for Paul's appraisal, finger side up. As he opened his clenched fist, yellow tufts of feathers appeared, slowly revealing the form of a confused and ruffled canary. Pavarotti blinked up dazedly at the people around him. Paul held out his hand for Kurt's little friend.

xoxoxo

"To be fair, you brought this on him. His death would have been quick and painless if it weren't for you; your actions have afforded him a slow, painful death and the ire of an untold amount of gods. You have no one to blame but yourself." Apollo was completely detached from the emotional aspect of the argument.

For all intents and purposes, Apollo was every bit the man-whore his father was. He took innumerable consorts, loved them passionately for short amounts of time and then left them, usually bringing down horrific fates upon them; the ancient Greeks usually didn't take well to women who had children outside of wedlock, even if the father was a god. Apollo didn't understand the faithfulness that was more or less unique to Hades and his family. As far as Apollo was concerned, the painful loss of a lover was just a fact of life that David had to learn to deal with.

"But it doesn't _have_ to be this way. Just call off your nosoi; it's as simple as that."

"Is anything _ever_ as simple as that? I gave the nosoi permission to do something and, while I didn't intend for them to take it this far, I can't simply tell them I was _lying_ about the permission." Paul closed his eyes and sighed internally. He couldn't think of anything else to do. He could appeal to each of the nosoi independently, but if _any_ of them refused to be swayed, the chances were great that Kurt would still die. His only other option would be to talk to his brother, but Zeus had little love for mortals and would care even less about a single mortal with no noteworthy lineage. "Kurt _will_ die, Hades. There's little to nothing anyone can do about that now. If I were you, I would do whatever I could to _ease_ Kurt's suffering."

xoxoxo

"Macaria?" Paul could feel his daughter's presence, though he couldn't see her. "I need a favor from you. There's a boy that's dying. I've seen the list; he doesn't have much time left. I'd like you to go to him. Ease his passing. For me, please?" He couldn't be certain whether she listened to him or not, but he couldn't imagine she had any reason to disobey him. He just had to have faith that she'd do as he asked.

xoxoxo

It was strange going to school and not seeing Kurt. Not having Kurt pull him aside into a vacant classroom or empty hallway for stolen kisses, fond petting, or more amorous activities. The thought that Kurt was home, in bed, sick beyond anything he'd ever seen before ate him up inside. It hurt him in ways he never thought possible. The pain wouldn't be so horrific if he had Kurt to see him through it, but, as it was, Kurt's absence was the _cause_ of the pain. God forbid they ever broke up; David didn't know what he'd do.

As he came into the house, he dropped his book bag by the front door and went in immediate search of his father. "Dad?" He knew his father hadn't gone in to work today; Paul had promised he'd spend the day finding out what he could about Kurt. "Dad?" He wasn't in his bedroom: wasn't in the kitchen. Looking through the back windows, David could see his father sitting in a lawn chair in amongst the goats. Once the nights started falling below freezing, the goats spent most of their time closed up in the heated barn. Paul had obviously let them out and they were all busy frolicking in the brittle, yellowing grass and butting heads with one another. Pushing open the back door, David headed outside to meet his father; it was only a quick jog of a few hundred meters to get to the goat pen. "Hey, Dad. What happened?"

Paul turned around and looked his son over before forcing a pained smile that was, thankfully, enough to fool his son. "Exactly as I told you. Kurt's sick. Nothing more."

"But the nightmares…"

"Kurt's ill. He's hot and tired and in pain. Nightmares are common when you're sick. It's _nothing,_ David. Kurt will…" Paul's voice faltered a little; he wasn't sure how he'd be able to keep up the pretense. And what about when Kurt _wasn't_ all right? What would he tell David when Kurt continued to get worse until he…Paul didn't want to think about it. "Kurt will be fine."

David didn't notice the way his father's voice caught slightly in his throat: the tiny hitch that threatened breakage went completely overlooked. "Ok. Hermes probably thinks I'm a drama queen, now. Doesn't he?" David plopped himself down on the ground beside his father, encouraging several of the goats to come over and start ramming into him or trying to scale him.

"No. He thinks it's a bit unfair the way everything has been piling up on Kurt lately. In fact…there's a surprise for you in your bedroom. A little something he thought you and Kurt might appreciate."

With a look of confusion on his face, David stood, prompting a goat to fall out of his lap. "What kind of surprise?" Paul gestured idly behind himself, back towards the house.

Once he was outside his bedroom door, David didn't even have to guess what the surprise was, anymore. He could _hear _the surprise long before seeing it.

"I don't give a mouse's _ass_ if you haven't seen _The X Factor_ in three weeks! I do _not_ have it recorded and I'm not _going_ to record it tonight. So, you can just _deal_ with it!"

"You see? That's your problem. You _claim_ to be cultured and have a love of the arts, but you know _nothing_ about **contemporary** art."

"Contemporary art is anything _but_ art. It's right up there with 'modern art'. It's an oxymoron."

"What'd you call me?"

David pushed open his bedroom door just in time to see Pavarotti bomb diving towards Homer. The chubby rodent reeled back on his back feet and clawed at the air with his front paws. "Pavarotti!" Both creatures turned to look at David.

"Davey!" Pavarotti diverted his course and flew at his master's boyfriend. "I'm so excited to see you! I've missed you so much. And Kurt. How's Kurt?"

David allowed Pavarotti to alight on his fingers and perch there. Rubbing the bird on his head with his index finger he held him close to his chest and arched his neck to kiss the canary on the beak. "Kurt's a little sick right now. But he is going to be _so_ happy to see you! It'll be the best surprise _ever_."


	62. Alone

**For my metric readers 104.2 degrees Fahrenheit is 40.1 degrees Celsius. **

**xoxoxo**

"Ok, so you're going to fly over to Kurt's house – you know how to get there from here, right?" The canary chirped in confirmation, "And you're gonna hang out in the tree outside Kurt's bedroom window. When his dad comes in to check on him, you can tap on the glass or whistle. As far as anyone needs to know, you've just been flying around the neighborhood since you went missing. Kurt will be _thrilled_. This might be _just_ what Kurt needs to get better. He was so stressed about everything going wrong." David stroked Pavarotti's feathery little head and released him out his own bedroom window. David smiled as Kurt's yellow friend shrunk in the distance until he was no longer visible. Pavarotti's return had to be a sign, right?

xoxoxo

Carol had made up some special soup for Kurt. Burt couldn't lie; he'd snuck a few sips while she'd been simmering it the night before. It was a potato and leak soup she had seen with Kurt on one of his cooking shows. The potatoes should be bland enough for Kurt to keep _some_ down and the starches would help absorb stomach acids making the inevitable vomiting less painful and disgusting. The cream would provide some much needed fat to Kurt's diet. The salt should help keep his electrolytes balanced. Burt knocked softly on Kurt's door while he nudged it open.

Kurt was very still in bed: a good change from the past few days where he'd been somewhat restless. Burt placed the lukewarm soup down beside Kurt's bed. "Morning buddy. Carol made something extra special for you." Burt brushed his fingers over Kurt's forehead to get the sweaty bangs out of his face, but then pulled his hand back. Kurt was burning up. Despite his pallid appearance, Kurt felt like a lobster fresh out of a pot of boiling water. "Kurt?" Burt cupped Kurt's cheek with his hand and shook gently. "Kurt?" He shook a little less delicately. "Kurt?" Burt was shell-shocked; what was he supposed to do? Kurt was _hot_. Hotter than he had ever been. And he wasn't waking up or even responding to his touch or voice. "Finn! _Finn_!" He could hear his stepson jogging up the stairs.

"What's wrong?"

"Kurt. I…we gotta get him to the hospital. He's worse: so much worse." Finn didn't even wait for Burt's directions. He placed his arms behind Kurt's knees and back, scooping him up, blankets and all. As Finn started heading towards the door with his stepbrother, Burt followed behind, numbly, completely unable to process his emotions.

Pavarotti watched silently from the window.

xoxoxo

David felt pretty good. Pavarotti was back and Kurt was gonna get better. David could get through one or two more days of school without him. The day didn't whizz by as quickly as it would have if Kurt was here, but it wasn't painfully slow. Third period came and went without incident until he saw Finn. "Hey, Hudson." Finn spotted Dave and froze; he looked shocked…and slightly awkward. Finn rubbed the back of his neck and looked away. "What's wrong?"

"Uh…dude…" Finn looked everywhere _but_ at David: his feet, the ceiling, the walls, every other student in the hall. Never at David.

"H-how's Kurt?" Despite his father's assurance that Kurt was going to be all right, David was worried.

"He, uh…Burt tried feeding him breakfast this morning. He wouldn't wake up or even respond. Nothing. And his fever…it was 104.2. We brought him to the hospital. They took blood and put him in cooling blankets and gave him an IV." Finn grabbed David's arm as his brother's boyfriend turned away from him, obviously intent on going to Kurt. "They aren't letting him have any visitors. They're putting him in isolation until they can figure out what's wrong with him. They said the isolation probably won't last long; just until they can get the tests back."

"Isolation? They have him _quarantined_?" David felt panicked; he didn't know what to do. He couldn't visit Kurt? He couldn't _see_ him? He felt useless and helpless and so very, very powerless.

"No, that's what I thought. Apparently, quarantine and isolation aren't the same thing. Quarantine is to see _if_ you get sick; isolation is to keep you from getting others sick."

"Really Hudson? You're arguing _semantics_? Kurt's…Kurt's in the hospital, with god only knows what and you're trying to teach me _English_?" He really wanted to punch Hudson. Not because he was _angry_ at Finn, but because he was so _frustrated_ and _lost_. What the hell was he supposed to do?

Finn shook his head: in resignation or regret, David couldn't tell. "I'm sorry, dude. Burt's gonna call me the second they know anything. I'll call you when I know. I know how much you care about Kurt."

Part of David heard what Finn said, but it didn't really process. He _hated_ feeling this weak. He walked away from Finn, heading to his locker to gather his books for fourth and fifth period. He struggled with the lock for a few minutes, too distressed to focus on the proper combination. After what felt like the hundredth try at getting his locker open, he took out his aggression on the metal door, thrusting his fist at it in one heavy strike. The entire front of it caved in; the hinges were the only thing holding it together. He pulled the crumpled remains open and took out his books.

"Excuse me, sir." The tiny, high-pitched voice almost went unnoticed. "I'm sorry, sir." David looked up and to his right. His neighbor's locker had a tiny silverfish sticking its head out of the vents on the front of the door. "I didn't mean to listen in, but you could always visit your love in the guise of a doctor or nurse. Or perhaps you could go while invisible. No one need know. You are a _god;_ you are not subject to the paltry rules mortals set for themselves."

"I didn't think of that." David returned his books to his locker and made a feeble attempt at getting the wrecked door to go back into its shut position. "Thank you. Thank you so much." David jogged off down the hall until he could find a vacant classroom. Ducking quickly inside, he instantly teleported to the hospital.

xoxoxo

He could pass through the hospital completely unseen, unheard and unfelt. No room or area was off-limits to him. Finding Kurt should have been a fairly simple matter.

Operative word being "should." There were, to the best of David's estimates, fifty to seventy rooms per floor (based on whether the floor had a cafeteria, numerous conference rooms, offices, etc.). There were six floors above ground and another two subterranean floors. Subfloor two was reserved for maintenance, storage and the morgue. He could at least rule that out. Subfloor one was filled with labs, locker rooms, and heavy machinery, such as MRIs and radiology equipment.

The ground floor was the emergency room, the welcome center and reception, a few small gift shops and food vendors and smaller doctors' offices where they could deal with checkups, inoculations, triage and minor diagnostics. The second floor was maternity, neonatal and pediatrics. Throughout the rest of the hospital, there was general care, oncology, cardiology, pulmonology, surgery, obstetrics, neurology…the list went on and on. Thanks to his Latin and Greek knowledge, David could identify all the different wards, but without any kind of idea as to what was wrong with Kurt, it was difficult to tell where to start. For a split second, he felt he would be safe ruling out the second floor, but then realized Kurt might still fall under pediatrics…he was a teenager after all: a child in many people's perspectives.

He hovered behind the reception desk, watching the receptionist fill out innumerable, mind-numbing forms. Occasionally, the phone would ring and she would redirect the call or look up some information for the caller. The computer system was not something David was familiar with; it was entirely text-based and the receptionist seemed to have memorized dozens of special codes that would instantly take her to the screen she needed. At one point, after David had been watching for at least twenty minutes, waiting for the receptionist to duck away for a minute or two so he could use the computer, a visitor came up to the desk. He carried enough balloons to reenact his own stage-version of _UP_. "Excuse me, I'm looking for Lydia Nicolson?" David watched the receptionist, but she worked too quickly for him to catch the finger movements or codes and just gave up.

As David walked away from the desk, deciding to search the old-fashioned way, he could faintly hear the receptionist direct him to the third floor. He wandered throughout each room on the first floor, then second, then third. It was a tedious chore, taking a great deal longer than he had expected, and he found himself doubling back on a few of the rooms when he got turned around. When he got up to the fourth floor, the elevator door opened and he spotted Burt Hummel, down the hall, sitting in a row of plastic chairs across from the nurses' station. David had never seen anyone look so hopeless or forlorn. His arms rested on his legs, his hands hanging limp between his knees. His head was down, staring dejectedly at the floor. A doctor passed by, prompting Burt to sit up and grab at the hem of the doctor's coat. David couldn't hear what Burt said, but the doctor shook his head and responded, just barely masking his annoyance at being disturbed. Burt released his hold on the doctor's coat and went back to his former resigned state.

David debated checking on Kurt first or going to Kurt's father. After watching the man a few more minutes, knowing intimately how impotent Burt must feel, he realized there was nothing he could do for Kurt at the moment, but he could at least be a comfort to Kurt's father. Making certain no one watched him, David became visible and strolled over to Kurt's father. "Mr. Hummel."

Burt jumped a bit at being startled. "Skipping school, again?"

David shrugged. "I'm already accepted at UConn. I have plenty of absences remaining. I know everything that crap-shack can possibly offer me. Kurt's health and safety are way more important."

Burt gestured to the seat beside him. David sat and remained quiet until Burt spoke. The hospital was cool; a pleasant temperature for David, but Kurt, if he were conscious, probably would have been complaining. Kurt got very chilly, very easily. David, being "big-boned" and used to working out-of-doors at the nursery or on the farm could deal with most temperatures. Kurt, on the other hand, had no natural insulation and was very accommodated to the strictly controlled temperatures of the mall, his house and school. Logically, David knew the hospital was kept cooler to impede the growth of bacteria, but wasn't the comfort of the patients and their families even the slightest consideration? "They're running a bunch of tests on him. Some have come back negative already. They tell me that's good but…I'd rather know what it _is_ than what it _isn't_. It's the _not knowing_ that's so hard. CBC and BM…BMB? BMP? Those both came back looking normal, they said. The UA test looked good too…that means it isn't his liver…_probably_."

"Kurt's…he's _delicate_. Maybe he's just not reacting well to something perfectly normal. Flu, strep, whatever. I'm sure they don't even bother testing for those things."

Burt shook his head. "No…I'm sure those things have enough symptoms that the doctors wouldn't even question it. They're not idiots…assholes, yes," Burt made certain to say this in a not-quite-stage-whisper as the doctor he had been talking to earlier passed back by again. The doctor was smart enough to ignore him, "but not idiots." Burt was quiet again for a while, thinking over what he wanted to day. "My dad…my dad was feeling perfectly fine – this was before Kurt was born, mind you – he was feeling fine, but woke up one morning and saw his hand was a bit swollen. It wasn't painful or anything, just a bit of water weight. He didn't really think nothing of it, but my ma made him go to the doctors. It took hours and they asked him question after question…then they noticed his protein levels were low. Then they started running other tests. Then they started matching up his responses to their questions to their theories. Next thing you know, he's getting an x-ray and then an ultrasound. There was a mass on his pancreas. Two months later I'm burying my dad. The pancreas apparently has something to do with protein; without enough protein in the blood stream, the water in the blood stream started, I dunno, _leaking_ out of his veins or something. Something as little as a swollen hand – edema they called it, turned out to be a symptom of late-stage pancreatic cancer. What's going on with Kurt…it ain't so little, and they can't figure it out."

"It's still early, Burt. He's only been here _hours_. I'm sure some of the tests won't come back for _days_. He'll be fine."

xoxoxo

It was probably the longest David had ever talked to Burt Hummel. They had sat for hours, mostly getting ignored by the doctors and nurses, occasionally getting offered water or coffee, occasionally being told another test came back negative or normal. The doctors never told them anything useful, though. Finally, David had begged his leave and pretended to go home, only to turn himself invisible once again and stroll right into Kurt's room, passing through the solid door as easily as though it were fog.

Kurt's heart rate monitor beeped along steadily. The IV drip stood like a silent sentinel, watching vigilantly over Kurt. There were other machines around the room as well, but David was pleased to see the oxygen mask still hung on the wall, untouched.

Kurt was surrounded in a soft, translucent glow. Not the same way you would say a pregnant woman was glowing; it was more physical than that. It was like Kurt had somehow evolved bioluminescence. He wasn't entirely positive, but he felt like that meant a god was with Kurt. There was nothing malevolent about the warm light radiating from Kurt; it wasn't an _evil_ god. David sat next to Kurt, holding his hand and feeling pleased that someone, beside himself, was watching over Kurt.

xoxoxo

Burt didn't get home until late. The nurses had practically forced him out of the hospital. They weren't mean or anything about it, they just reminded him that he wouldn't be any worse updated on Kurt's situation whether he were there or at home and he'd be better suited to being there for the family he _could_ see and comfort.

Carol didn't say anything to him as he came in the front door. She just hugged him and held him.

At long last, Burt pried himself away from his well-meaning wife and went up to Kurt's bedroom. He had to get the room looking (and smelling) nice for when Kurt came home. He stripped down the bed, piling all the sheets outside the bedroom door. He collected the empty water bottles from around the sides of the bed. At least one had been dropped to the floor while still partially full and opened. Burt used one of Kurt's bed sheets to sop up the spill. Once the floor was dry, he went over to the window and tied back the draperies. Pulling up the window, Burt was shocked to see a bird perched quietly on the sill. His first thought was that an oriole had crashed into the window and either stunned or killed itself, but when the small, puffed-up bird blinked up at him, he knew instantly what it was. "Pavarotti?"

The bird let out a small whistle, seemingly in response to Burt's question. Burt was careful to scoop the bird up with two hands, closing his fingers over and around the small creature, terrified of it going away, again.


	63. Death Becomes Him

"Your father says you didn't go to work today?" It had been later than he intended when David got home. Both of his parents were already home, his mother cooking in the kitchen, his father reading the newspaper at the kitchen table, while David scrounged through the fridge looking for something to drink real quick.

He wasn't sure why his mother spoke on his father's behalf since they were all present in the same room, but his father glanced over the newspaper to see David's reaction to Sophie's query, nonetheless. "Finn told me Kurt got hospitalized today. I went to check on him."

"Hospitalized?" Sophie picked up a hand towel and dried her steam-moistened fingers before placing one hand casually on her hip.

David glanced between his two parents. His mother looked vaguely confused; his father…he couldn't really name the emotions he saw flitting across Paul's face, but they unnerved David. The apples of Paul's cheeks reddened briefly, while the rest of his face became blanched. His eyes flickered nervously across David's face; his father examined him as closely as David examined his father. "Yeah. He's not doing too well. But it's ok; when I was there, I could tell another god was there, as well. I'm sure he's coming to the cusp of his illness. He'll start getting better now."

"What god?" Sophie eyed over her husband, though it was clear her question was directed at David.

David shrugged nonchalantly. "I don't really know. It wasn't an evil god, though. Kurt was bathed in a warm glowing light…like the other god was protecting him or something." Sophie's nervousness, as well as his father's – that's what he saw in his father's face, _nervousness_ – was starting to become contagious. He had nothing to worry about though; his father had spoken with Hermes and Apollo. Kurt would be ok.

…Right?

"Macaria?" His mother looked subtly mortified at Paul as she uttered the name, as though David's presence was the only thing keeping her from giving Paul a one-way ticket back to the Underworld, the mortal way.

David started; he knew that name. "Macaria? My _sister,_ Macaria? The _death_ goddess?"

Paul looked well and truly trapped, casting panicked looks between his wife and son, seemingly debating which he needed to fortify himself against first. "I asked her to watch over Kurt. She's protecting him from Thanatos."

"Thanatos? The soul reaper?" David's breathing became erratic. If he were capable of it, he'd be frightened he were having a heart attack…though he wasn't entirely certain he wasn't, despite his immortality. "Did you…did you _lie_ to me? Is Kurt going to die?"

Paul, caught up in his lie and the obvious anger and pain emanating from both his wife and son, became flustered and confused. He couldn't decide whether to drop the lie and beg their forgiveness, or to continue it and try to fix things somehow. He had resurrected Kurt once; he could do it again, couldn't he? "No, I didn't…Kurt's gonna be…Macaria's just…" Paul had always lived a judicious and steadfast existence, never bending his morals or becoming slave to his more flawed instincts. Now that he was caught up in a tumultuous web of his own deceit, he couldn't for a second fathom how his brothers lived their entire lives like this. He steeled himself against the angry daggers Sophie currently glared at him and sat up straighter in his chair. "Kurt will _not_ die."

David didn't seem assuaged. "Promise me."

"I promise."

For a brief second, David looked like he might buy his father's lie. Sophie, who Paul pointedly ignored, did not. David apparently still had doubts about his father's honesty and continued to press the matter further. _"Swear_ it."

Paul furrowed his brows. It was an incredibly brash and bold move for David to demand an oath from his father. Few mortals had ever been clever enough to request a binding promise from them. He wasn't certain whether to be insulted at David's lack of trust or impressed by his cleverness. "I swear on the river Styx that Kurt will _not_ die."

David nodded mutely. He hadn't expected his father to actually give in and swear on Styx. But, he felt better now, knowing for certain that Kurt would be all right. Still nodding, an apple juice in hand, David retreated from the kitchen.

The moment her son was out of earshot, Sophie wheeled around on her husband. "You _idiot_!"

Paul held his hands up defensively. "I'll figure it out. I'll talk to Apollo; he'll _have_ to call off the nosoi. I outrank Apollo. The nosoi should fall below my rank, somehow; I'll _fix_ this."

"You _can't_ Paul. You _**fucked**_ up." Paul pulled back a bit, startled at his wife's language. He couldn't remember the last time he had heard her swear so vehemently. "You swore on the river Styx that Kurt would not die. Even if you're able to fix this current mess, he'll die _eventually_. How do you plan on fixing _that_? Huh?"

Paul felt all the color drain from his face. He had the sudden sensation that he was freefalling into and endless black void. He had made a promise on the river Styx he _could_ not keep. But at the same time, a promise made on the river Styx could not be _broken_. Paul wished fervently that he could crawl in a hole and die.

xoxoxo

Early the next morning, Paul sat in his office, fretting over what he was going to do. What was the punishment for falsely swearing on Styx? Paul wasn't an Olympian, per se, but he was still one of the most powerful and important gods. What would happen to him when he couldn't uphold his oath? Would the goddess of the river be reasonable and understand that the oath hadn't been meant as such a blanket statement? That Kurt could _never_ die? Would she hold him to that, making him ensure that Kurt remained alive for all eternity? Or would she recognize the intentions _behind_ the oath and only hold Paul accountable for Kurt's current bind?

He'd never dealt with such a thing before. He knew of others who had made oaths on the river Styx that led ruin or damnation; they had always resulted in death. Never had he known of an oath that led to _life_. There was a soft knock at the door. Paul looked up and saw his son hovering sheepishly in the crack between the door and the wall. "Come on in."

David looked acutely uncomfortable, rubbing his hand up and down his arm like a wounded animal. "I just…I wanted to apologize. I shouldn't have doubted you."

Paul licked his lips. David's faith in him made him feel infinitely worse than the gnawing uncertainty of his own future. He still didn't even know his own course of action, let alone how they would come back to inevitably destroy him, yet his son's childlike confidence in his all-powerful father simultaneously strengthened and weakened Paul. He could deny his son nothing. "It's all right."

"No; no it's not. I should have trusted you…I just…Kurt's so sick and I'm so worried and it looks like everything's gone to hell in a hand basket and I was so worried and…I said that already. I just…I had to be sure, you know? I…thank you – for talking to Hermes and Apollo about Kurt. I know Kurt's just a mortal and that the other gods don't really care about him, but _I_ do. Kurt's my whole world and I just needed to make sure he was going to be ok."

Paul smiled softly at his son. He'd seen that kind of love before: a love that would go to any odds, anger any god necessary to exist. It was the same love that had prompted Paul to kidnap Sophie and trick her into eating the pomegranate seeds all those eons ago. "I understand. Kurt's going to be all right. I'll make sure of it." Paul reflected on David's hopeful expression. It was like he was a little child again, trusting his father that Santa Claus was real and that stories always ended in 'happily ever after.' "I swear."

David returned his father's warm and loving smile, hugged and thanked him, and left the office, not wanting to bother his father any further.

Once David was gone, Paul stood and slowly, reverently, made his way over to his liquor cabinet. Carefully seated in a place of honor was a dark colored wine bottle, but no wine was in _that_ particular bottle. Instead, its contents were a thick, honey-like drink known only to the gods. Cradling it in his arms, Paul silently begged Zeus's forgiveness, already certain that it wouldn't be granted.

xoxoxo

Kurt's condition had gotten worse. Burt had been woken in the middle of the night by the hospital telling him they had been forced to start supplying Kurt with oxygen. Sometime around eleven, Kurt had begun choking on his own bile; his heartbeat was erratic; his blood pressure would plummet and then suddenly spike uncontrollably. The fever had returned and the doctors were forced to keep Kurt cool by numerous artificial methods. Test after test had come back negative.

They were starting to doubt Kurt would hold on long enough for them to get a positive result – some inkling as to what was wrong with him and how to help him. Kurt's doctor, understanding how near Kurt was to the end, lifted the isolation order on Kurt and told Burt Hummel he and his family might want to come to the hospital. He didn't tell them it might be their last chance to see him. The Hummel-Hudsons had sat with Kurt all night. When he, briefly, began to re-stabilize in the early hours of the morning, Finn went off to school while Carol went to get breakfast for herself and her physically and emotionally exhausted husband.

xoxoxo

Paul teleported himself to Kurt's hospital room, maintaining his invisibility to keep from startling Burt Hummel, currently sleeping in a chair beside his son, his body slumped over onto the edge of the bed, his hand resting over Kurt's.

They weren't alone.

A bone thin man, tall, pale and jaundiced, stood next to Burt Hummel and Kurt, watching them silently…waiting. He made no motion to show that he was aware of Paul's presence, but how could he not be?

"Thanatos… _leave_."

"I have my orders. His time has come."

"Leave _now_."

Thanatos turned slowly and met Paul's glare. Thanatos seemed completely impartial to Paul's obvious anger. "You'll not keep me from my gains a second time."

"I can and I will. Get _out_."

"I do him a favor. He was meant to die _months_ ago. The lesser gods are jealous of the favor he has found. They will torture him until the end of his days. My service is kind. Look, he welcomes it."

Paul could see exactly what Thanatos meant Even though Macaria, was with Kurt, comforting him in his final moments, Icelus was torturing him so severely in his nightmares that even the goddess of blessed death couldn't fully sooth him. "Get…out…_NOW_."

The light around Kurt instantly blinked out as Macaria fled, she may not have been a true "being" in most senses of the word, but she had enough sentience to fear the wrath of Hades. Thanatos looked between Kurt and Paul. His expression finally revealing emotion: true loathing. "Is this mortal really worth the trouble you bring upon yourself?"

Paul swallowed and remained silent a moment. "No…but my _son_ is."

Thanatos raised an eyebrow at that and then bowed condescendingly. "As you wish…but I'll take _great_ delight in whatever punishment the council sees fit for your actions." With that, Thanatos vanished.

Kurt's heart monitors were starting to become chaotic. Without the comfort of Macaria, Kurt was terrified and in pain. Burt began to stir at the noise the machines produced. As he became aware of his surroundings, the heartache in Burt's eyes became clear. "Kurt? Buddy?" A tear ran down Burt's cheek. "Please, buddy. Stay with me. You can do this…you're strong." His voice broke, as though he didn't believe his own words. Burt grasped Kurt's hand in both of his own, barely bothering to be careful of the IV sticking out of the backside of Kurt's hand.

Paul placed his hand on Burt's shoulder, even though the man couldn't feel him. "He's _very_ strong. But not strong enough to fight the gods…not _alone_." Paul pulled out a small flask that he had poured from the bottle of ambrosia. Uncorking it, he tipped it to Kurt's lips. It could either save his life…or kill him slowly and more agonizingly than any death imaginable.

Kurt was still for a moment, but then began sputtering painfully, struggling for breath as the thick liquid poured into his mouth. It was too soon to tell whether or not the panacea would take hold or if it would be too much for Kurt. The heart monitor sped up its beeps, squeaking haltingly like a small animal being tortured to death. A nurse came rushing into the room, followed by a doctor and a second nurse. The second nurse pulled Burt away from his only child as the first nurse and doctor frantically tried to figure out what was killing an otherwise perfectly healthy eighteen-year-old boy.

Burt – a man that Paul's own son, _a god_, had the good sense to fear – looked like the most helpless creature in existence, reduced to nothing more than watching and whimpering, "My son. That's my son" over and over again. As the god of the Underworld, Paul knew exactly what the pain was like for the dying.

He couldn't begin to fathom the pain of the living.

In the hospital bed, Kurt jerked and seized as though possessed by a demon. The IV ripped out of his flailing hand; the oxygen tubes became tangled. Both nurses had taken to trying to hold Kurt's writhing body down so that the doctor could do what he needed to.

Then, as suddenly as it all began…it _stopped_.


	64. Sleeping Beauty Awakes

School was hard. Knowing Kurt was lying in the hospital, probably in pain (if his trip to Kurt's dreams was any indication), with no way of anyone knowing when he'd get better, was not conductive to a very good education. He'd always been a pretty decent student, but his complete inability to _do_ anything was driving him crazy. He couldn't even remember what he was supposed to be reading in his English class, let alone focus on what was going on and dissecting the character motivations. David closed up the book and looked at the cover: _Out of the Pocket_. Oh, that was right; the teacher had let them pick their own books for their upcoming projects and David had found one that _looked_ like it was about football, but was actually about coming out of the closet. It should have been a very appropriate book for him, only he couldn't even begin to remember anything that had happened so far and he was already four chapters in.

David felt a buzzing coming from his pocket. Surreptitiously, he lowered his book, pulled out his phone, hiding it between the pages, and returned the book up to the desk level. With the book held vertically on his desk, it looked like he was reading, while he really examined the text he had just received:

_**From Finn Hudson:**_

_**Dude Kurts awake. Going to hsptl to c him. U come?**_

_**From Dave Karofsky:**_

_**Yes**_

Slipping his phone back into his pocket, David closed up his book and raised his hand. When he caught the teacher's eye, he spoke up, "Umm…can I go to the bathroom?"

The teacher nodded. Leaning in close to one of his remaining friends on the football team, David whispered. "I'm not coming back, can you ditch my bag in the choir room after class?" His fellow jock nodded while continuing to read. David didn't miss the way the jock's eyes neither moved across the page, nor had he changed the page passed the prologue since the teacher asked them to start reading from their books fifteen minutes prior. Some people just didn't care for books. "Thanks dude." Leaving his book bag on the floor, David snagged the paper pass from the teacher and made a break for the parking lot. Finn stood waiting for him at his truck, his fingers drumming nervously on the hood. "Let's go."

xoxoxo

He had never been so hungry before. They had given him a feeding tube while he was unconscious, but even still, he felt like he could eat a centaur. He was a bit antsy, but he attributed that to the fact that he had been lying still for days on end. Other than that, he felt fine; all his aches and pains had disappeared, his chills and sweats had gone away, his head no longer throbbed. He felt completely perfect.

His illness had been bad… _very _bad. No one tried to hide it. Doctors and nurses had been flitting about around him since he woke up, trying just as hard to understand his miraculous recovery, as they had to identify his mysterious illness. The doctors obviously wanted to take credit of some kind for his newly found clean bill of health, but, try as they might, they couldn't hide their complete and utter confusion.

His father – his father that hadn't left his bedside _once_ since he first woke up, even to move about the room – had commented something along the lines of "I may have to start praying, again, now that I know someone's taking care of us." Kurt, for the first time in his life, was inclined to agree with that type of sentiment, though not in the same way his father meant it. He intended to talk to David and write a well-thought-out and appropriate thank you card to the responsible god. Maybe make them a nice offering by way of a home cooked steak dinner. A nicely marbled, dry-aged porterhouse would probably please any of the gods.

Speak of the devil and he shall appear…

There was a quick, rhythmic knock on Kurt's hospital room door followed shortly by David poking his head in. David's eyes scanned over the room; when his eyes landed on Kurt, they lit up. The light in David's eyes spread throughout the rest of his face as he smiled at Kurt.

David had come to the hospital with Finn expecting Kurt to be frail and sickly, but Kurt looked completely fine. He looked like he had just woken up on any normal day; the color in his skin slightly uneven and his hair beautifully mussed. David glanced at Burt, seemingly looking for permission to enter, before moving the rest of the way into the room. Finn followed after: far less calm and quiet than David. Finn was practically bouncing as came into the room and plopped himself down on the foot of Kurt's bed. "How are you feeling?"

Kurt shrugged, smiling at his brother who asked the question and his boyfriend who eagerly awaited his response. "Great. Better than everyone seems to think I should be feeling."

David, looking relieved, sat on the floor next to Burt, beside the head of Kurt's stiff cot. "Do the doctors think you're going to get completely better soon?"

"They say I _am_ completely better…" Kurt looked at his father, checking to see if he confirmed what he was saying, "…as far as they can tell, really. My fever's completely gone, I can eat and drink without any problem, my stomach feel fine, I'm not sore any longer. I should be able to go home in a day or so."

"If you _maintain_. The doctors want to make sure you really _are_ all better." Burt squeezed his son's hand lovingly before putting his hand over David's shoulder. Kurt talked to his father, Finn and David for a good long while, with his father just basking in his son's presence and Finn and David regaling Kurt with anecdotes from school and, more importantly, glee club. It had been a week or so, but it felt like he had missed _so_ much of his life. It was almost exhausting to think about how much he was going to have to catch up on.

First and foremost, though, he needed to catch up with his boyfriend. "Dad, would it be ok if David and I had some alone time?" Burt looked a bit shocked and taken aback by that. He shot accusatory glances between his son and his son's teenage lover. "Please, dad? Maybe you can find me some decent _non_-hospital food?" Placing his hands rather dramatically on his knees, Burt pushed himself up out of his chair while giving David a typical dad-stare that seemed to say, "defile my son and I'll defile your face."

"Anything you want in particular?"

Kurt thought that over, "Ummm…" Having not 'eaten' in the traditional sense of the word in days and then being force-fed hospital food had left Kurt desperate for just about anything palatable; however, he felt it was only fitting to pick out something good…since his father was offering and all. "How about some Italian? I could really go for a fettuccini alfredo."

Burt nodded. "Sounds good. And the sauce should help you regain some of the weight you lost. You want anything Dave? I'm gonna go order from Breadsticks." Kurt had heard from his father, as well as the doctors, that he had lost some weight during his illness, but hadn't seen himself in the mirror, yet. He had wanted to make the voyage to the bathroom to fix himself up, but had quickly discovered he had a catheter in place and was A) too embarrassed to mention having it removed to anyone and B) was a bit afraid of what it would feel like coming out. He had heard some men enjoyed "sounding," but he couldn't really envision himself deriving any pleasure from such a pastime. In fact, the thing felt awkward enough as it was.

"Ummm…yeah sure. I'll have that five cheese mezzaluna ravioli that they have."

David began pulling out his wallet, but Burt forced him to put it away. "A mezza-what?"

"Five-cheese ravioli, dad. They're the little quarter moon raviolis." His father still looked confused. Kurt had no doubt his father was trying to picture _crescent_ shaped ravioli pieces. "Half-circle."

"Well, why the hell don't they just call it that?" Kurt rolled his eyes at his father's retreating form. He could almost make out Finn saying something and his father responding as they left the room, but it was much too mumbled. The two were probably continuing the discussion of Breadstick's menu.

Once Burt had left the room, Kurt looked over at David, who was still crouched down on the floor by Kurt's bed. "You can come up here if you'd like."

"I'd rather not jostle the bed or anything."

Kurt patted the bed beside him, before reaching over and grabbing at David's arm. "I feel fine. _Amazing_ in fact. And right now I have so much damn energy I'm considering rejoining the football team. I just want to run and jump and…_do_ stuff."

"I'd offer to do some 'stuff' with you, but truth be told, your dad still kind of scares me."

Kurt quirked up the corner of his lip in a partial smile as David climbed into the bed with him. Kurt pushed himself back, giving David more room to fit on the twin-sized mattress. "You don't have to be afraid of my dad. Believe it or not, he really likes you. He's just…_protective_ of me."

David nodded, shuffling closer to Kurt so that their foreheads were pressed together. "Yeah, I know. We spent some time together while you were sick. Doesn't mean I can't be a _little_ nervous around him."

"So who do I have to thank for my miraculous recovery?"

David frowned in a contemplative manner, his eyebrows scrunching up as he thought. "I suppose Apollo…but not really. His nosoi – gods of disease – were messing with you, but he gave then _permission_ to. A lot of the gods were messing with you, actually. My dad told me it was at _least_ Artemis, Apollo, the muses, Hermes and Icelus. Artemis caused the car accident, Apollo caused your illness, the muses are obviously responsible for you not getting into NYADA and Hermes robbed your house."

Kurt pondered that. He couldn't recall having met any of them, so wasn't certain how he should feel. They were complete strangers to him and fucking with mortals' lives was what they did; but on the other hand, they went a bit above and beyond picking on him. "I think I remember meeting Artemis." David cocked his head to the side in confusion. "There was a teenage girl in the store that night: the night of the car accident. She was very odd and she wanted an archery charm for a bracelet. Archery would fall under Artemis's domain, wouldn't it?"

"Well, her brother Apollo is usually considered the god of archery, but it falls into her domain, as well. Some gods share domain, and one usually has more claim to it than another. The bow and arrow are symbols of hers, though, so it very likely _was_ her."

"Why do they all hate me?"

David licked his lips, nervously. "I can't say for sure, but they were probably just hazing you. Messing with you because you're dating me, you know?"

Kurt pursed his lips to the side, staring at David appraisingly. "You're lucky you're worth the trouble."

xoxoxo

It was a miracle he didn't have bedsores. The doctors had barely let him move for days. Even when it was time for him to go home, they had required him to leave the hospital in a wheelchair. His father wasn't much helping matter, either. Burt had insisted on practically carrying Kurt from the bed to the wheelchair, had refused to allow Kurt to power the wheelchair himself and had picked him up and placed him in the passenger seat on the car drive home. It wasn't until they were safely in the driveway at home before Kurt was allowed to walk on his own. And even then it was only because he was able to escape the car before his father could come around and open the door for him.

He had _hated_ being so cooped up the passed few days. It sucked. It horribly, horribly sucked. But, on the bright side, tomorrow was Saturday. His father would have to go to the shop in the morning and Kurt would be free to move about freely. Maybe he could even escape the house for a while and go for a jog. Or he could go to David's house and go horseback riding; they hadn't done that in weeks. He had so much energy. He couldn't remember _ever_ having this much energy before. Well, there _was_ the vitamin D thing, but that was more of a hyper, _wired_ energy. This was just an "I've been sleeping way too freaking long and have to get out and _do_ stuff energy."

Mall crawl. He'd make David take him mall crawling tomorrow. That way he'd get to do some hardcore walking and get to spend some much needed time with his boyfriend. And his father couldn't _possibly_ object to a mall crawl because Burt didn't really understand what an intense pseudo-sport it was. And then Kurt could spend the rest of the weekend working on fashion designs. He had thought up _so_ many good ones while he was in the hospital. In fact…Kurt rushed up the stairs to his bedroom, desperately wanting to jot down the ideas before any of them fled his memory.

Once he was in his room, he began rifling through his bedside drawer, trying to find a notepad and pencil. He vaguely noticed how nice his father had made his room.

"Kurtie?" Kurt dropped the pencil and looked over towards his closet, where Pavarotti's cage stood. "Kurtie! You're home. Oh my god I'm so happy to see you! I missed you _so_ much and I was so _worried_ about you! And Finn forgot to feed me _twice_ and hasn't cleaned my cage _once_ even though I heard Burt tell him to. He said it just this morning, 'Finn, make sure Pavarotti looks nice for Kurt when he gets home.' But I _always_ look nice so I knew he had to mean my cage and…Kurt? You look pale. Are you sick again?"

"I can understand you?"

"Oh, yay! I love it when you can understand me. Does that mean _David's_ around? DAVID! Come say 'hi!'"

xoxoxo

Pavarotti had insisted they spend hours talking. Kurt got to hear all about Pavarotti's stay in Hermes palace (apparently Hermes hadn't been too-horrible of a bird-napper and had taken good care of Pavarotti) and Kurt told Pavarotti all about how lonely he had been without him. Once Pavarotti was tired out, Kurt put a blanket over his cage, turned out the lights and crawled into bed. Pulling his phone close to him, he sent off some quick goodnight texts to David.

**From Kurt to David**

Goodnight, boo. You want to go to the mall tomorrow?

**From David to Kurt**

Are we giving me another makeover?

**From David to Kurt**

I mean – sure I'd love to go!

**From Kurt to David**

Smartass. And thank you for allowing me to talk to Pavarotti

**From David to Kurt**

What do you mean?

**From Kurt to David**

You lent me the ability to understand animals

**From David to Kurt**

What?


	65. The Little Prince

There was the obnoxious _*__**vvvbpt**__*, *__**vvvbpt**__*, *__**vvvbpt**__*_ of a cell phone vibrating against wood as David got dressed the next morning. Pulling his shirt on one-handed, he looked down at the shiny reflective screen.

**From Kurt:**

**I'm here : )**

xoxoxo

"So…perhaps Hermes felt guilty and gave you the ability to talk to Pavarotti?" Kurt sidestepped piles of snowy mud as he followed David to the stables. He was going to help David groom Cyprus, Mavro, and Lygo and then they were going to go for a ride. It had been a while since they'd done any horseback riding and Kurt wanted to before they head off to the mall for the day. "I figure, since he's the messenger of the gods…he's got to have some power over speech, so it's possible he gave you the gift."

"I don't think so. It's not just Pavarotti. There was a squirrel in my front yard this morning and he called me a hairless, back-leg walking, dog-lover. I think I understand _all_ animals. There's a constant buzzing of noise that I can't quite block out, but a lot of it I can't quite hone in on either."

David scrunched up his nose in thought as he opened the paddock gate; that was _exactly_ how it sounded being able to understand animals. It took a lot of practice and effort to be able to make out what everyone was saying when they were all around you. It was like there was a political rally a few blocks away; you could hear lots of talking and chatter, but you could only make out some of the loudest voices, and even then only with a little difficulty. But that was just when you were outside; at any given moment, when you were outside, there were hundreds of thousands of insects in the trees, in the grass, underground. When you were right next to an animal, it was incredibly easy to understand them. Like when Kurt had been talking to Pavarotti last night. "That's definitely something a squirrel would say. They get startled easily and talk smack about everyone and everything. I just don't get why Hermes would give you _that_ kind of gift. Unless, it's temporary: that's all I can think of." David lifted the wooden bar that kept the stable doors sealed and pulled them open.

The moment David opened the doors, there was a stampede of goats. Some of them pushed passed David and Kurt, trying to get outside and stretch and run. Some of the goats swarmed around David and began talking to him…well, worshipping him more like. It was mostly the younger goats – the kids – telling David how much they loved and adored him. The full-grown goats all charged outside, full-steam ahead, cheering about how much they loved the snow. It was rather amusing for Kurt. It was like watching a foreign film, over and over, and finally getting subtitles. "You're kind of like one of those Saint Francis statues with all the little animals doting over him."

Side-stepping the littler goats, David went over to the horse stall and opened it up for his father's steeds. Cyprus was the first to step through the door and out into the open part of the stables. Shaking her mane, she walked up to David and pressed her muzzle against David's cheek. "Unless you are an animal, you cannot understand the neglect most of our kind have endured since time immemorial." Kurt blinked slowly in astonishment as he realized the horse was speaking to him. "The beasts of the wilds have had a goddess watching over them that takes more pleasure in hunting them than seeing that their needs are met. Livestock have had a guardian, but Priapus could do little to protect such creatures from the depravity of man. Insects and bugs have never had any god to truly care for them. Nor have pets. Horses were one of the only truly lucky creatures; we had Poseidon as our master and protector and have always fared the best of our brethren. Even dogs, 'man's best friend,' have not known the prestige Poseidon has granted horses." Staring at the majestic black horse with an overwhelming sense of awe, Kurt approached Cyprus with his palm stretched out. Cyprus presses her nose against Kurt's hand, sniffling in deeply before snorting a gust of hot air against his hand.

"Cyprus, do _you_ know which god gave Kurt the ability to speak to animals? You've been one of my father's chariot horses for thousands of years now; you should be able to recognize some of the gifts of the gods."

Mavro came up alongside his mate, their foal, Lygo, tagging along after. Lygo was still about two hands shorter than his sire, but was quickly catching up. Mavro looked Kurt over, before looking at his mate. Looking back at Kurt, Mavro spoke up, "This 'gift' comes from no god. This gift is an innate, natural gift."

"Yeah, well mortals aren't _born_ understanding animals. If a mortal gets that kind of power, it _has_ to be a gift from a god."

"Mortals are never born with the gift of animal speech, true. But _immortals_ are newly born with it." Kurt narrowed his eyes and turned to David only to find his own expression of confusion mirrored in David's face. "Kurt is no mortal. He has not been given the gift of special abilities, but the gift of immortality."

"I'm _immortal_?"

David's eyes were wide; he looked around the horse's faces and Kurt's with a look of pure incredulity. "That's not possible. How? Who?"

xoxoxo

"_DAD_!" David pushed the back door open, not bothering to kick the snow from his boots as he stepped inside. Demeter stood at the stove scrambling some eggs she had brought from her own small farm.

Demi looked her grandson over, one eyebrow raised, the other skewed under the other. "Why are you yelling? Your father's right in the living room." As if on cue, Paul came into the kitchen, adjusting his shirt. "Kurt, sweetie, how are you doing? You look _infinitely_ better." Her voice changed just the slightest with her second statement as her focus shifted from Kurt to Paul. David caught the accusatory way she looked at his father.

"So it's true, then? Kurt's immortal?"

Paul heaved a relieved sigh. "Yes. Kurt's immortal. The nosoi…even Apollo couldn't call them off. I had no choice but to give Kurt ambrosia. It was the only way I could keep my promise to you."

"Ambrosia." David said it with a quiet admiration in his voice. "So Kurt's not just immortal…he's a _god_? Did you ask Zeus? Does Zeus _know?_"

Paul intentionally ignored the deeply critical look Demetria was glaring at him. "Only a complete idiot would do something as drastic as this without Zeus's knowledge or permission." Paul did not feel the need to elaborate on the fact that he was, indeed, a complete idiot. He hadn't even informed Zeus _after_ the fact and was more inclined to see just how long he could go without Zeus finding out. Demetria's glare became less harsh; she obviously believed that he couldn't possibly be _that_ stupid.

"I'm a _god_?" Kurt's voice broke, as the shock overcame him. He squeaked the words, more than spoke them. "Of _what_?"

A shrug sufficed as Paul's only answer for a moment while he thought. "Some new gods inherently know their domain. David was born a veritable _magnet_ for animals. Hercules was born with incredible strength. Some gods choose their domains; Artemis told Zeus flat-out what she wanted her domain to be. Some gods sort of…stumble into their domain; Dionysus invented wine and therefore became god of wine and drunken revelry. Some gods get their domains foisted upon them; I had no choice over being god of the Underworld. I suppose only time will tell for you."

xoxoxo

"So talking to animals, invisibility, teleportation…what else?" Kurt sat with David in one of the Lima Bean's three locations. This particular one was in the heart of the mall.

David had half a cannoli shoved in his mouth: something Kurt, at one point, would have found rather disgusting, but actually found kind of cute and endearing with David. He got so excited over little treats like that that he couldn't _help_ scarfing them down. David swallowed what he had bitten off and cleared his throat before responding. "No calories, for one." Kurt furrowed his brow at David. "I can diet and exorcise all I want or I can binge as much as I want. My muscle density and body mass index is the same as it's ever going to be. Of course, I can shapeshift and cheat, if I like. That's another one, by the way: shapeshifting. You also can't die – for all intents and purposes, or get sick. And it's not _just_ talking to animals. You now understand all intelligent communication: humans, animals, bugs…even some plants, to an extent – though their 'thoughts' are very different than what you and I would consider thoughts…it's more like feelings. Pick a language; you're now fluent in it."

"_Erstaunlich." _David rolled his eyes as Kurt started giggling to himself over his cup of coffee, but quickly went back to admiring Kurt's flawless perfection. Kurt was more beautiful than David had ever seen him; he didn't look _different_, per se, he just seemed to have an air about him that David had never seen before. It was like Kurt had overdosed on poise and grace. His every movement seemed perfectly choreographed to be fluid and sensual. David ran the toe of his sneaker against the outside of Kurt's ankle, prompting Kurt to blush and look down into his coffee. "What do you think my domain will be?"

David shrugged. "It's usually something to do with your personality."

"Hmmm…perhaps I'll be the god of gays? That'll be fun; I can piss off Aphrodite on a regular basis." Kurt raised his coffee to take a sip and immediately lowered it as he thought of something. "I'll make the heads of every religious organization gay…and every politician, too!"

David snorted and shook his head. "You don't even _have_ power, yet, and you're already letting it go to your head. Besides, I'm pretty sure Aaron would take offense if you bogarted part of his domain."

Kurt pursed his lips and looked off to the side, thinking about what his other potential possibilities were. "I suppose the Muses would object to me taking over musical theatre? With my luck I'll become the god of teenagers. That's a species of animals _no_ god would want to be in charge of."

xoxoxo

Kurt, thanks to the energy boost his godliness gave him, was able to buzz through the mall, with David in tow, in record time. Shoving the bags into the back of David's truck, they drove back to the Karofsky household. Once they were safely concealed from the neighbors' view in David's driveway, David reached across the center divide and took Kurt's hand. "More shopping?"

"What'd you have in mind?"

xoxoxo

"This is _so_ cool! I've never been to the Mall of America before! Oh…my…god…what the _hell_ is Alpaca Connection? We have to go there first; can we go there first?" Kurt pointed to the little silhouette of the alpaca on the mall directory.

"Whatever you want. Today is _all_ about _you_."

Kurt took David's hand and started tugging him through the mall. "It's _always_ all about me. You _spoil_ me. I never get to spoil _you_." Kurt stopped dead in his tracks. "Oh my god, there really _is_ an indoor amusement park here."

David squeezed Kurt's hand and pulled him so that Kurt spun around until he was chest to chest with David. "I get all the pleasure I need just seeing you smile."

Kurt smiled and tilted up slightly on his toes so that he looked like he was about to kiss David. "Stop being such a cornball. Next weekend you can drag me anywhere in the world and we'll do something fun _you_ want to do."

"The Outback to play with some marsupials? I wanna pet a koala bear."

As Kurt turned back around to continue his trek to find out what the alpaca store was all about he snorted to himself. "For a second I thought you were going to say Outback Steakhouse…koala bears sound fun too, though."

Kurt's eyes were large as he observed everything as they walked throughout the mall. It was amazing just how _big_ it was; he smiled to himself as it occurred to him that it was a mall 'worthy of a god.' It was spacious and brightly lit with an astounding number of stores. It was like it never ended.

And so many _people_ to look at. There were families, couples, singles, groups of friends, teenagers, children, adults, seniors, people of just about every nationality…

And yet, a single woman, sitting up ahead on a bench, caught his eye. It was like that odd moment on a highway when a vehicle comes up alongside yours and you get a sudden urge to look over at the other driver, only to notice that they're looking right back at you. This woman was probably in her mid-thirties, yet she had a classic air of beauty about her. She looked like Judy Garland and Vivien Leigh somehow had a child together. She had soft brown hair, with a gentle wave to it, flawless, pale skin, and delicate red lips: not something Kurt typically observed in a woman. She wore glasses – thin square frames – but took them off as she looked up to meet Kurt's eye. She had apparently only 'needed' them for reading; she held a kindle in her lap and had been looking at it right before Kurt noticed her. Kurt doubted that she _truly_ needed the glasses, though, because he could sense, just by looking at her, that she had to be a god. But the warm way she smiled at him, Kurt felt that she was probably a kind god and he had no reason to fear her.

Squeezing David's hand to get his attention, he looked at his boyfriend for a moment. "David, who's she?"

"Who?"

Kurt gestured in the direction of the goddess, but when he looked where he was pointing, she was gone.


	66. Moot

David dropped the towel to the floor of Kurt's bedroom and crawled into bed behind Kurt. His skin was warm and moist as he settled in behind Kurt under the comforter. Kurt scooted back a little so that his back was pressed against David's chest. Burt Hummel knew David and Kurt had spent all of Friday and Saturday together. Burt Hummel knew David hadn't gone home yet. Burt Hummel knew that David had taken a shower in his son's bathroom. Burt Hummel also knew, in theory, that his son was sexually active with David. That's why it was strange that Burt Hummel hadn't made any attempts on David's life. Perhaps Burt _was_ starting to like David.

He'd better, because as far as David was concerned, now that Kurt was immortal, he was _never_ giving him up. David lowered his head, so that his forehead was pressed between Kurt's shoulder blades. With his head craned down, his nose was close to his own chest. "I don't know if I just have it gumming up my nose or it if it's me, but I still smell fuckin' koala."

Kurt groaned, long since sick of hearing David comment on the same _damn_ thing. "Are you gonna whine about the smell of koala bears for the rest of your life? They're wild animals and you let about twelve crawl all over you." David had, at one point earlier in the day, had at least one koala clinging to each appendage and one wrapped around his head. They had rather enjoyed the loving attention that they had gotten from the young gods.

"They smelled like piss. And their fur was _awfully_ yellow. I think they pee on themselves."

"And yet your favorite animal is the skunk. How do you plan on having pet skunks if you can't even stop moaning about the smell of koalas?" Kurt rolled over so that his face was burrowed against David's chest. Despite David's complaint of only being able to smell koala pee, all Kurt could smell was the faint aroma of David's earthy musk and the clean scent of Dove soap. Kurt pressed his nose in close, inhaled deeply and sighed contentedly. He could get used to an eternity of this.

"I don't mind skunk. I don't mind urine all that much either – goats and horses pee _a lot_. I just didn't expect koalas to smell like that."

"What did you think they'd smell like?"

There was a long, drawn out silence from David while he debated whether or not he wanted to embarrass himself by answering. Eventually deciding Kurt wouldn't tease him, he responded. "Eucalyptus."

"Gods forbid we ever have children, they better get _my_ brains. They can have a nice mix of our looks, definitely your athleticism, but _my_ brains." Neither of them ever wanted children, but it still warmed David to hear Kurt talking about something so long-term. "You know…I saw her two more times this week."

"The goddess?"

"Yeah…she was just watching me each time. She doesn't look mean or anything, but she just…she shows up when I least expect her." Her presence unnerved Kurt. Not because he was afraid of her, or anything, but just because he had no idea who she was or what she wanted.

"She sounds _kinda_ like Athena. Appearance-wise, at least. But, then again, all the gods can make themselves look like whatever they want. It could be my _dad_ for all we know."

Kurt pondered that for a moment. "Well…he looks very good with his hair in a pony tail and a tweed, A-line skirt." David pressed a kiss against Kurt's forehead. "So…you have all your godly powers…now _I_ have godly powers…when do we start designing our palace, together? I'm thinking we can do away with the whole gothic, Edgar Allan Poe-esque thing you created. How about we tour Neuschwanstein and see if we can get any inspiration? It's Romanesque Revival: very classy and elegant. Less depressing than the cathedral you were thinking about."

David tensed up and pulled back to look at Kurt. "Really? We aren't even married and your already trying to whip me?"

Kurt patted David's chest condescendingly. "Oh, sweetie, you're _already_ whipped." After a pause, he added, "Don't _worry_ we can compromise. Where would we like it to be located, though? Given the fact that we can both teleport, location isn't _that_ important, but a nice view of some kind would be wonderful. And land…we're gonna need a nice plot of land for all of your pets."

"Can I have a llama?"

"Only if you're cleaning up after it."

xoxoxo

Arm-in-arm, David and Kurt walked the halls of McKinley: Kurt escorting David to his geography class, David escorting Kurt to his French class. Kurt becoming a god had made David nervous, initially. Yes, they would have all of eternity, together; but David worried about Kurt's desirability. He now had unlimited potential; he could have just about any man he wanted on Earth…what motivation could he possibly have to stay with David?

Yet, he _had_. Being a god hadn't changed Kurt in any way that David could tell. Kurt just talked more about his future with David, now that they were both positive they _could_ have a future together.

Kurt had never said anything about it, but he had frequently worried that either David or his family would think of Kurt as a gold-digger and ditch him. Kurt was anything but a gold-digger, but the worry had still tinged his thoughts. Especially, because David loved so much to shower him with opulent gifts; it seemed like every time Kurt turned around, David wanted to take Kurt on another shopping trip, and the more David learned about Kurt's tastes in fashion, the more ritzy the places David wanted to take Kurt.

Not that Kurt would _ever_ complain…but he was starting to run out of closet space. He had taken to keeping some of his nicer outfits clothes in David's room in the Underworld. Now that he was a god, though, he felt that perhaps his family's perception of him would remain positive.

Kurt and David both slowed to a stop as they felt something in the air change about them. Everyone else in the hall seemed to sense the change, as well; they had all stopped moving.

No…_that_ was it. Everyone had stopped moving; that's what was wrong. Everyone stood frozen, mid-motion, except himself and David. Kurt unhitched his arm from David's and approached a young freshmen girl. She had been turning away from her closed locker, no doubt heading off to class. But now she was completely motionless, her foot partially twisted with her heel raised from the ground as she turned, one arm slightly behind her. Even her hair was frozen in place: all the strands slightly elevated and rounded around her, showcasing the arc of her turn. Kurt leaned in close, trying to get some kind of reaction from the girl; she wasn't even breathing.

There was a sudden pulling in Kurt's stomach and a second later he was no longer standing in the halls of McKinley.

Everything was very bright: sharp, clean whites, and pearlescent yellows. They were in a large room, perhaps about the size of a football field. The floors were a white marble, the walls, far away as they were, appeared to be a pale, soft yellow. There was a raised up platform, just high enough that Kurt could see a row of thrones; each one as unique as the god that claimed it as their own.

Kurt and David weren't alone. There were innumerable people – _gods_ – all mingling in a large, pulsing, throng. They all seemed as slightly confused at their presence there as Kurt was. "Kurt!" Kurt turned his head towards the voice and was very pleased to see David standing just behind him. David hadn't been the one to call his name, though. Standing on tiptoe and craning his neck to see over the crowd, he could faintly make out Hedone. "Kurt! David!"

Hedone pushed her way through her relatives and came up to the two youngest gods. "Hedone, what's going on?"

She shrugged as she pushed through the last few feet. "I have no idea. I was in California, waking up from a _lovely_ one-nighter, and then time _stopped._ Chronos stopped time. Next thing I know, I'm _here_."

"Yeah, we were at school." David placed a hand on Kurt's shoulder as he maneuvered himself to standing next to his boyfriend. "So, you have _no_ idea what's going on?"

She shook her head, "None. I don't think anyone really does."

A god Kurt had never seen before, one _David_ had never seen before, came to stand beside Hedone. He had a soft, pinkish complexion and a slightly wind-swept up-do. "I've been listening in to different conversations; no one knows. My wife, Iris, is trying to gather what knowledge she can, as well. I'm Zephyrus, by the way." He held out his hand, first to Kurt, then to David.

A moment later, a thin, athletic-looking woman came up beside Zephyrus. She had his same pale blue eyes and light skin tone. Her hair, though, unlike his dirty blonde hair, was in cornrows, with each row dyed a different color, creating a rainbow effect. "The clearest consensus I can find is that most of the gods believe it has something to do with you two." She nodded towards Kurt and David. "You're the youngest gods…perhaps this is your debutante ball? A coming-out party of some kind?"

"You must be Iris: goddess of rainbows and one of the messenger-gods?"

Iris nodded, smiling fondly at Kurt. "You've done your homework, I see."

David looked around the room, mildly awestruck as he finally took in just _how many_ people were there. "I knew I had a big family, but…_whoa_."

"Don't worry, I know _everyone;_ I can do introductions." Iris placed her index finger against her lower lip, indenting the pink flesh slightly with her pointed nail. "Hmm…I don't see any of the Olympians…they must be conducting a moot. But, _oh_…there's Hymen, from what I've heard about you two, you might want to get in good with him now…god of marriage, you know?" Kurt blanched, but smiled happily when he felt David slip is hand into his own. "Over there's Aristaeus; he's a hunter god, but he also invented bee-keeping, so he'll probably be one of your lieutenants, David. Those beautiful ladies over there," Iris gestured to a small group of women with snow-white hair and alabaster skin, "are the Epimelides. They'll probably be your nymphs, since they guard over sheep and goats."

"Oh, look: Methe." Zephyrus pointed out a young girl who appeared to have stumbled, drunk, out of a frat party. She was wearing a large, navy-blue, hooded sweatshirt with the yellow letters WVU emblazoned across the front. Underneath that, she appeared to be wearing a skimpy sequined dress. Her hair was in complete disarray and she was viciously flirting with every guy in her proximity. Only one guy seemed to be at all interested in her advances; the rest ignored her or smiled awkwardly as she laughed and joked far too loudly. "The adorable brunet staring lovingly at her is Ganymede: Zeus's cup-bearer. Methe's the goddess of drunkenness, in case you can't tell." Iris and her husband, with the occasional addendum by Hedone, pointed out various other lesser gods: most of which Kurt had never heard of before.

For a brief moment, Kurt thought he had caught sight of the goddess that had been stalking him, but just as quickly as he spotted her, she was gone, along with his chance to ask Iris who she was.

It wasn't important, though. Less than a minute after her sorrowful face (an appearance Kurt had never seen on her before) turned away, a hush fell over the noisy crowd of gods and assorted immortals. There was a ripple in the crowd as people turned to face the raised platform. In front of each throne, a god had appeared: their personalities and domains clearly portrayed in their appearance.

Kurt recognized Demeter, instantly, of course. Her face looked impassive and emotionless, though not cruel: simply stoic. She was dressed in a jean jumper, with a white turtleneck underneath.

Aphrodite, dressed in the classiest evening gown Kurt had ever seen, her luxurious blonde curls done up like she was walking the red carpet at the Oscars, was impossible to mistake for any other goddess.

Ares – older than Kurt had expected – was dressed in the uniform of some high-ranking military officer. His expression was hard: unforgiving.

Hephaestus, the crippled god of the forge, was, like his wife, unmistakable. He lilted to the side, as his crippled leg was unable to bear his full weight appropriately. He had a shaggy brown beard and a kind look about him. He reminded Kurt a little of Hagrid from Harry Potter. He was of an imposing size, with his large muscles barely concealed by his clothes.

Hera, queen of the gods, was the single most dignified woman Kurt had ever seen. Her skin was of a moderately tan complexion; her hair was as black as night and straight as an arrow. She wore a perfectly tailored suit. She was like some powerful politician in her stance and bearing.

Hermes, more laid back than most his fellow Olympians, dressed down more so than the others, in nicely pressed khaki pants and a button-down blouse.

Athena, like Ares, wore a military uniform, with her wavy brown curls pulled tight in an authoritarian bun. The warmth in her face, thought, completely dispelled the aura of rigidity about her.

Dionysus, slightly red in the cheeks and the nose, appeared surprisingly sober; Kurt would have expected him to be listing from side-to-side, much like Methe.

Zeus, far younger than Kurt would have imagined based off of his observations of Disney, _Hercules the Legendary Journeys_, and _Age of Mythology_, looked freshly out of high school. He had that unmistakable cocky, "preppy" look about him. He reminded Kurt of weasel-face: Sebastian.

Hestia – Kurt had to assume that the shy, mousy-looking woman with the gentle air about her was Hestia – was dressed very modestly and unassuming. Her presence amongst the other Olympians brought to Kurt's mind the innumerable movies he had seen where the sweet, little nerd gets "befriended" by the "cool" kids, only to be completely humiliated by them later on in the movie.

The last three Olympians completely blew Kurt's mind, though. He was so shocked at their appearance that he gasped the first thing that came to his mind, "They're _black_!" Hedone was the first to crack up laughing at Kurt's outburst. Yes, there were people of countless heritages amongst the crowd, but they were all lesser gods and nymphs: most of them born of a godly parent and a mortal parent. But the Olympians should have all been of Greek heritage: right?

David rolled his eyes and pulled Kurt closer to his side so he could whisper an explanation to him, "The gods can all _choose_ their appearances. We can look however we please. Artemis and Apollo have both lived in Africa for hundreds, if not _thousands_ of years. Artemis lives with the Maasai; some of the most noble and honorable hunters in the world, in her opinion. Apollo has lived in Egypt since _at least_ the time of the Middle Kingdom. The Egyptians worshipped the sun god as their supreme deity and pioneered many of the great sciences. There's probably no better place for him on Earth. Poseidon lives in the Caribbean: Jamaica, usually, I believe. He respects their culture and love for and dependence on the sea."

"I _met_ Artemis, though. She looked _nothing_ like that." Indeed, when Kurt met Artemis, she couldn't have been more different than her current appearance. She had a red and green wrap-around dress, with white-checkered markings on it. Her hair was shorn off and she wore a beaded headdress, with layer upon layer of beads draped around her neck.

"Shapeshifting, Kurt. Remember? She probably wouldn't have been able to waltz into Olivine looking like that, without more people noticing."

Her twin, Apollo, wore a crisp, white galabeya: a men's gown that covered him from his wrists to his ankles. On his head, he wore a matching white taqiyah: a skullcap.

Poseidon looked very much the part of a Jamaican, with his Bob Marley dreadlocks, his perfect physique and his "California-casual" dress.

"You didn't notice Hera isn't white, either?"

Hedone's question actually took Kurt by surprise. Upon initial inspection, she'd look pretty white to Kurt, but now that he knew she _wasn't_, he realized she looked somewhat Hispanic. "Umm…Puerto Rican?"

"Not even close. She makes herself appear of Afghani descent, though she divides her time in the mortal world between Afghanistan and Iceland. She helps woman and young girls in Afghanistan, while covertly subverting the male dominated society; in Iceland she leads nonprofit organizations that seek to enrich the lives of disenfranchised women in poorer nations."

Kurt looked upon the Peacock goddess with a newfound respect. "She got fucked over in mythology, didn't she?"

"Not quite." The small group of gods – Kurt, David, Iris, Hedone and Zephyrus – turned to face the new addition to the group. It was Sophie. "Hera's reputation in mythology was well-deserved. Though, to be fair, her husband _is_ an adulterous ass. It's only been in recent times that she's begun championing women. I doubt before the last few centuries any of us really realized it was _possible_ for women to have equal rights." Sophie looked over the group that had formed in the midst of the larger conglomeration. "Have you seen your father, David?"

David shook his head. "No. Not since this morning."

"He and your Nana went off together this morning. When we were brought here, I expected to see him up there…but, now I don't know."

Zeus intentionally kept the crowd in suspense; his arrogant gaze shifting over the crowd, daring anyone to disturb him. He was very intentionally creating unease in the crowd; keeping them on their toes to keep them in line. Physically, he may not have looked like much, but power emanated from him, practically dripping from his pores. After what felt like hours, just when Kurt couldn't take his silence or the suspense any longer, Zeus spoke,

"One of you has dared to challenge my absolute power. One of you, in their infinite conceit, thought they could usurp the power that is mine and mine _alone_. One of you has committed dereliction of duty, while daring to supplant _my_ divine rule. I have brought you _all_ here, that an example might be made of this snake in the grass." Zeus turned to a young woman standing off to the side: Dike – though Kurt didn't know her name. "Bring out the prisoner."

Raising her hand, a black cloud appeared before Dike and before the Olympians. The black cloud came together and solidified into the form of a person. Kurt recognized him even before he heard Sophie's horrified cry.

Paul Karofsky, dressed as though he had been waylaid on his way to work, stood before the crowd in chains.

xoxoxo

**There's a reason why I named thirteen Olympians, despite the fact that there are only twelve. It will be explained next chapter.**


	67. King of the Weasels

"As I'm sure the majority of our assemblage is aware, Hades' current strain of rebellion began nineteen years ago when he knowingly and _maliciously_ breached the contract _I_ mediated between himself and Demeter." To Kurt, Zeus looked like a high school bully trying to tear down an opponent running for class officer. Or a debate team competitor trying to discredit their disputant.

He wanted to punch him right in his weasely, little nose.

"Hades went around my back, around Demeter's back, to rip asunder the arrangement that had been agreed upon _centuries_ ago, _by him_, to ensure the harmony of our family: to _safeguard_ the existence of humanity." Kurt rolled his eyes. This was absolutely ridiculous. Zeus didn't give a crap about humans. Or even his family, really. Even if Kurt weren't familiar with mythology and hadn't heard assessments of Zeus from a half dozen different gods, Kurt could tell just from his _mannerisms_ that what he said was complete bullshit. "That was just the _beginning_ of his dissention."

"His rebellion led to the birth of a new god: a new god, no more than two generations removed from our beloved mother Rhea. A child who should have joined us as one of the most powerful…a child he chose to _raise as a mortal_." Zeus spit the word "mortal" out of his mouth like a bad taste: as though someone told him he'd just eaten rat droppings. "In order to achieve this desire, he abandoned his domain. Leaving it not in the aegis of fellow Underworld gods: Thanatos, Pelops, Hecate…No, instead he left it in the spectral hands of dead mortals. _Dead._ _Mortals_. Hades – my brother – _forsook_ his domain to live among mortals, work among mortals, raise his son _as a mortal_." Here Zeus paused, to let the gravity of his words be absorbed by the audience. He was intentionally making Paul's actions sound so much worse than they were.

"To add insult to injury, to slap us _all_ in the face, he reclaimed his domain – used his chthonic powers, merely to _resurrect_ a dead mortal. A mortal whom the Fates had decreed would die. Indeed he _did_ die. His soul was harvested by Thanatos, ferried by Charon, and was in the process of being judged when Hades tore his shade from the Plain of Judgment." Zeus clenched the empty air in front of him with a claw-like grip: miming the action of snatching something up. "He restored this mortal to life and has continued to treat him like a pampered pet since."

Zeus allowed his gaze to wander leisurely over his audience, before flicking his eyes briefly – angrily – over to his brother, who was standing slumped, shame-faced, and resigned before the congregation of gods. "A breach of contract: an insult to our glorious tradition: a heinous crime against all we hold sacred. These charges I have foolishly turned a blind eye towards out of familial loyalty towards my brother. My _blood_." Zeus gave Paul the fakest look of sorrow Kurt had ever seen. Thousands upon thousands of years old and, apparently, the king of the gods didn't have a single acting lesson under his belt. "But his latest crime, I cannot ignore. He has threatened the very stability of our hierarchy, our society, by encroaching on _my_ rights as your king. He misappropriated ambrosia meant for his _own_ family's use and fed it to _this_ _**mortal**_**.** A _nothing_. An insignificant _bug_." Kurt held his arms around himself, hugging himself insecurely as Zeus singled him out. Nearby gods, ones who didn't personally know Kurt, sidled away from him like he were a leper, afraid of being associated with him due to their proximity. Other snuck closer, trying to get a look at the new god.

"Hades' crimes, individually, are shameful; taken together, they are acts of seditious treason. His crimes will be judged accordingly. The Olympians shall now convene in solitude to decide his future." Zeus turned away from the gods and approached his brother and Dike.

"Wait, what about his defense?" Kurt hadn't intended to say it too loudly – he was just asking the gods around himself – but he had forgotten how much more _acute_ and clear his senses had gotten since he became a god. Surely theirs must have been just as good, if not better. Zeus, at least, had _excellent_ hearing and turned to face him with a bemused look on his face. Swallowing nervously and ignoring Sophie's frantic shushes, he piped up and addressed Zeus. "You're obviously acting as prosecution…what about the defense? Witnesses? Evidence?"

David grabbed Kurt's arm and roughly tugged him backwards so that David now stood between Kurt and his uncle. "How precious." Zeus's words, while seemingly pleasant, were filled with venom. "This isn't a movie, my little poseur-godling. Things don't work like that here."

"But…" Kurt tried to pull himself away from David. "That isn't _fair_. Democ–"

Zeus cut him off, eliminating any chance Kurt had of finishing his thoughts. "Continue to talk and – immortal or not – you will become intimately familiar with Tartarus. Now if you'll excuse me, the _real_ gods have some talking to do." Even if Kurt remained brave enough to respond, it would have been futile; Zeus, Hades and the remainder of the Olympians blinked out of existence as they teleported off to wherever they would decide Paul's punishment.

"That was a dangerous thing to do, Kurt. Zeus is a very passionate person; he loves strongly and hates deeply. You do _not_ want to make enemies of him. Not while you are still so young and vulnerable."

Kurt stepped away from David and slowly moved towards Sophie. Yes, it was David's father on trial, but Sophie and Paul had been together for thousands of years. She had sacrificed everything for him and he had risked everything for her. And now she'd probably lose him because of Kurt. "Sophie, I…I'm _so_…"

She held her hand up to silence Kurt. "No, Kurt. Paul knew what he was doing. He made his own decisions and you had no control – no _knowledge_ – of his actions. You have nothing to be sorry for. You're just…one in a long line of mortals who have had their lives completely turned upside-down due to the meddling of gods."

"But if I hadn't gotten involved with your family–"

Sophie Put her hands on Kurt's shoulders and looked him deeply in the eyes. "Then our family would be that much worse off. We love you, Kurt. You're one of _us_ now: for better or worse."

xoxoxo

They were largely quiet as they awaited the verdict. Gods with no emotional ties to Paul or his family talked quietly – respectfully or gossipingly – amongst themselves. Kurt sat on the floor, his knees tucked up against his chest. Sophie sat behind him; they were using each other's backs for support. David stood over Kurt and Sophie, occasionally watching them, occasionally watching the stage, occasionally staring into nothingness. Kurt, numb from worrying so much about Paul (and himself), began to think of other, more logical things.

When David next looked down at his boyfriend, Kurt was staring at his fingers. The way he wiggled each one, one by one, it was obvious he was counting. Or checking for breaks? "What are you doing?"

"There are twelve Olympian gods, right?"

"Yes."

"I keep getting thirteen. I'm counting wrong."

"For important decision – such as trials – they acknowledge Hestia's origins as an Olympian, to prevent any ties."

"So your father actually has a chance? They're not just going to hang him out to dry?" David shrugged. The gods were just as petty and vindictive as humans. Some would vote Paul innocent just to piss off Zeus; others would vote him guilty because they were pissed at Paul about something stupid. Few of them would probably even consider the charges Zeus had leveled against him.

Time ticked by slowly…painfully, painfully slowly. Of course there _was_ no time. Not technically, anyway. Chronos had stopped it so that the gods could all easily return to their normal lives once the trial was over. No matter how many times Kurt glanced down at his phone, it still said 10:13 in white, block numbers.

At long last, the crowd began to shift again as the Olympians returned to their thrones. Zeus looked a bit perturbed, but Paul didn't look happy (more tired, than anything), so Kurt couldn't begin to hazard a guess how the verdict turned out. Dike stood before the crowd of gods, her back to the Olympians. "For crimes against the pantheon and acts of treason…" Everyone was silent, holding their breath. "By a majority of seven to six, Hades has been founds guilty."

There was noisy murmuring throughout the crowd, some of it haughtily pleased, some of it angrily indignant. Sophie let out a panicked squeak of fear. David and Kurt latched onto her, holding her up and keeping her from collapsing to the floor. "By consensus of the tribunal, Hades shall be sentenced to return to the Underworld." Kurt was confused; how was that a punishment? "He shall be bound to his palace, unable to leave, until such a time as Zeus determines." _Ah…that was how it was a punishment. Paul was basically being cosmically grounded_. With the sentence announced, Zeus "dismissed" the gods; with a wave of his hand, they were all returned to the place from which they'd come.

Kurt blinked in confusion as he found himself staring at the petite freshman he'd been looking at before he and David had been teleported to Olympus against their wills. Kurt turned around and rushed into David's arms. "I'm so, _so_ sorry."

"It's all right Kurt. It could have been so much worse. I think that's why Zeus was pissed. He wanted my dad to suffer." As an afterthought, David added, "And at least he didn't do anything to you."

The world around them clicked back "on," and students began moving again, collecting books from their lockers and heading off to their next classes. David pulled Kurt into a nearby alcove where others couldn't spot them. There was a familiar tugging in Kurt's stomach as they teleported again, this time to David's house.

Paul and Sophie stood in the living room, wrapped up in each other. Sophie was whimpering softly while Paul whispered soothingly at her. With the arrival of her son and son's boyfriend, Sophie stepped away from Paul's arms, dabbing away her tears with the side of her hand.

"When do we go?" Kurt looked back at David. It hadn't occurred to him that Paul's punishment might mean losing David, as well.

Paul shook his head at David. "I have a month to make arrangements for Olivine and take care of any other business I have up here, before I have to go. We'll…figure everything else out as it comes up."

Demi had arrived while Paul was talking. Her first instinct was to go up and hug her daughter, but Sophie shrugged her off. "How _could_ you? Paul's my _husband_! Will you _never_ accept that?"

"Sophie, I –"

"No, mom. I don't want to hear it. This petty bullshit between you and Paul –"

Paul wrapped his arms around his wife from behind, keeping her from lashing out at her mother. _"Shhhhh_. Your mother voted 'not guilty.' This isn't her fault." Sophie looked incredulously at her mother.

Demeter nodded, agreeing with Paul. "How could I possibly benefit from a guilty verdict? I'm not stupid. With Paul confined to his palace, I'll be losing you all over again. I know you'll pick him over me. And I don't even really _hate_ Paul anymore. I may dislike him a bit, occasionally; but of all the son-in-law's I could have gotten…I suppose he's the _least_ detestable."

"Gee…_thanks_."


	68. Deus ex Machina

**Spearit: Zeus isn't Sebastian; he just _looks_ like him.**

**xoxoxo**

"So, that's the story we're all going with?"

David nodded. "It works. People already think my father's actually _from_ Russia, so it wouldn't be too far of a stretch. As far as anyone needs to know, he's returning 'home' to take care of my elderly, infirm grandparents. My mother of course will be going along with him. Makes sense."

Kurt shifted across the bed so that his head lay on David's stomach. "And _your_ story?"

"I'm a legal adult. I only have a few more months of school and my parents want me to complete my 'quality' American education." There was the tiniest hint of a snort in David's voice as he said 'quality.' "My father's transferring the deed to the house over to me and leaving me a stipend large enough to cover all 'necessary' expenses. He's going to retain ownership of Olivine, but he has a dear friend that's going to run it for him. That's actually true, by the way."

"You know, once my dad finds out you're living alone, he probably won't _ever_ let me sleep at your house alone, again." David chuckled. "Then again, once Carol finds out you're living alone, _she_ probably won't let you ever sleep at your house, again. She'll be finding excuses to make you sleep over my house all the time."

"Won't see me objecting." Kurt smiled and tilted his head up to kiss David.

xoxoxo

As much as he loved using David as his own personal pack-mule – and credit card – sometimes it was just really fun to go to the mall on his own, on a budget and have a scavenger hunt for the best deals. He had two hundred dollars and one month to plan for a spring wardrobe. He was hoping the fabric store would be having a nice sale of some kind. The last major tailoring project he'd embarked on was David's birthday present.

Oh, how long ago and happy those days seemed. They were the few brief moments of peace for him and David: David was out and his mother had come to love him, again; Olympus hadn't yet decided to gang up on Kurt.

Kurt leaned on the banister overlooking the first floor of the mall. He was above and across from the small biker store where Kurt had first attempted to give David a wardrobe intervention. It was the day everything had first come together. They had started dating that day and David had told him he was a god that day. Now _Kurt_ was a god, as well. It was so long ago, yet so…_not_.

Pulling himself from his reverie, Kurt looked up to the store directly above the biker store: the Lima Bean. But instead of seeing through the plate-glass windows to the patrons enjoying their lattes and cappuccinos inside, he saw _her,_ again.

Kurt suddenly felt unreasonably angry with this woman. He had no idea who she was, what she wanted, why she followed him all the time. All the shit that had been going down lately, he needed _someone_ to take his anger out on.

She was as good as anyone.

Setting his chin and squaring his shoulders, he took a left and began storming towards the walkway that connected the two sides of the mall, careful to keep his eyes on her. He wasn't going to blink, wasn't going to look away. This time, he wasn't going to let her get away. No way, not today.

As Kurt continued to approach her, she turned around and headed into the Lima Bean. Kurt put on a burst of speed, accidentally shoving passed a few shoppers without any apology or remorse as he followed her. When Kurt entered into the Lima Bean, he saw her sitting in a corner booth, sipping a mocha latte.

She wasn't alone. She appeared to be having a girls' day out with all of her closest girlfriends. One or two of them were about her age, but most of them appeared to be teenagers. Now that he saw her amongst her friends, he felt he might finally know who she was. "No one's looking; you might prefer to make yourself invisible, so we can talk properly."

Kurt took the goddess's advice, turned invisible and sat beside her in the booth. "You're one of the Muses, aren't you?"

She nodded. "I knew you'd figure it out. After all, we've always been so close, haven't we?" Kurt felt awestruck. Yes, he had some powerful patrons that gave him wonderful gifts, but these were the _Muses. _They represented everything he loved in life: music, poetry, dance, acting. How he adored them. "I am Calliope. Goddess of epic poetry…though all of our domains have been re-arranged slightly to accommodate the ways in which art has changed over the centuries. I'm actually more the goddess of literature, these days. That's what epic poetry eventually turned into, you know? It was always just a way to tell stories, but people eventually got rid of the foot and meter." Kurt nodded mutely.

"That over there," She pointed to a sullen looking teenage girl hovering somewhere between "goth" and "punk" fashions, "is Melpomene, goddess of tragedy. As far as music, movies, theatre and poetry go, that is. The bubbly little thing," Here Calliope gestured to the girl sitting across from Melpomene: a young girl, passing for fifteen or sixteen with a bit of pudge to her, a round face, and laugh lines indelibly etched beside her eyes, "is Thalia, goddess of comedy."

"Urania here," A thirty-something woman with straight black hair and a slightly ethnic look to her (Kurt didn't want to guess what nationality she had adopted as her own, after how wrong he'd been about Hera) smiled and greeted Kurt. She wore a transparent babydoll-style blouse and more bracelets and necklaces than could possibly be comfortable, "is goddess of astronomy and astrology. Polyhymnia," this one was a studious young girl in the guise of a typical Catholic-school girl, complete with pleated skirt, knee socks and shiny black loafers, "is goddess of hymns and gospel music." Calliope continued through the introductions, pointing out Clio (goddess of history), Terpsichore (goddess of dance), Erato (goddess of love poetry and music), and Euterpe (goddess of elegies and all other types of music and poetry). "I've been watching you for a while now, Kurt."

"I've noticed." As much as he admired the Muses, he couldn't hide the mild irritation in his voice.

"You seem upset. Forlorn, almost?"

"I just…I get that messing with me was a fun little game for the gods, but NYADA was my destiny. Why did you guys take that away from me?"

Calliope laughed along with several other of the Muses. "Your _destiny_? No one knows their destiny until it _happens_. There haven't been true oracles in long time."

"But _NYADA_…"

"Was a horrible fit for you. I love you dearly, Kurt, but, and no offense here, you just _aren't_ that good. Yes, you have a phenomenal singing voice, but your acting leaves much to be desired. If you had gotten _into_ NYADA, you would have been relegated to the annals of historical failures." Kurt grit his teeth and was ready to make a diva exit, when Calliope put her hand on Kurt's, silently begging him not to go. "Did you even _look_ at the other colleges that wrote you back?"

"Why bother?"

Calliope slid several letters towards him. Kurt had seen them before. They had been sitting inside the top drawer of his bureau, unopened. "You stole these from me?"

"Yes. Yes I did. Open this one, first." Calliope nudged one of the letters even closer to him. It was from Parsons.

"This is a fashion school. This was, like, my number four _backup_."

"And? You enjoy fashion, don't you?" Kurt noticed that the Muses seemed to have all moved closer to him, interested in his conversation with Calliope.

"Well, yeah, but it's just _fun_. I've never actually considered–"

"What's wrong with doing something you _enjoy_ for the rest of your life? The fact of the matter is, not a whole lot of gods have children anymore. You and David are the first new gods that have come around in a _long_ time. The world is changing a lot faster than most gods can cope, hence my sisters and I expanding our domains. The fact of the matter is, some of the arts have gone almost completely without a patron the entirety of their existence. We've talked to Apollo and we have a proposition for you…"

xoxoxo

"I'm a Muse! The Muses asked me to be god of fashion! I have a domain!" Kurt had teleported himself to the Karofsky's living room, knowing that at this hour of the night they'd all be home. By "all" he'd been expecting just David, Sophie and Paul, but Zeus was there as well. Along with some woman Kurt had never seen before.

Kurt came to a stop at the threshold of the kitchen when he saw Zeus. Not his favorite person, but he wasn't going to intentionally try and cause a fight with him. "Glad you have _some_ use." Turning to the woman Kurt didn't know, Zeus bowed stiffly, yet respectfully, towards her. "Mother, a pleasure as always." And with that, Zeus was gone.

Kurt knew very little of Rhea, but if even the king of the gods bowed to her, Kurt felt a similar display of fealty might be reasonably expected of him, as well. Having never really bowed, before, he made his best attempt but still moved haltingly. She was truly beautiful. Not in the same way Hedone and Aphrodite were beautiful with their stunning, lusty looks. She was beautiful in the same way Sophie was beautiful: warm and inviting, the very embodiment of matronly affections. "Kurt, I'd like you to meet my mother, Rhea, mother of the gods."

"It's a pleasure."

"As mother of the gods, she has power even over Zeus. While Zeus, as god of justice, is bound by certain formalities – trials for example – Rhea is bound by no laws. As a relic of the Golden Age she is beyond such artificial concepts as laws. Her _word_ is law. Zeus went to her to overturn the ruling. He obviously wasn't pleased with how things turned out. He wanted a more severe punishment for me."

Kurt felt his heart sink. How much more pain and strife could this family possibly bear? "My youngest was right to come to me. In fact, I wish he had come to me sooner so that I might ease a bit of the stress Hades' 'revolt' has caused. I _should_ have gotten involved several thousand years ago when Zeus first made that foolish decision that Persephone would spend the rest of eternity splitting her time between her mother and her husband. What kind of idiocy was that? A fair decision for a _child_, but she's long since been a grown women capable of making her own decisions. No, Hades made a huge error of judgment in abandoning his domain. That is the _only_ fault I find here."

"But me? And the ambrosia? And David?"

Rhea waved away Kurt's confused objections. "David is Hades' son; he may raise him however he sees fit. And I might add, Hades has done a significantly better job raising David than most of my children have done in raising their own offspring…when they actually _elected_ to raise their own offspring, that is.

"As for _you_, my dear…Hades is the god of the Underworld. He may tend his domain as he sees fit. No one complains when Zeus, Poseidon, Demeter, or Hera decide to _kill_ mortals; why should anyone complain when Hades _saves_ one? Feeding a mortal ambrosia may have been crossing the line, _slightly_, but even I can see it was not done to threaten Zeus's throne. He did it out of love of his son. As a maternity goddess, I can all too well understand the need to comfort and care for your children above all else. Now if you'll excuse me, I am old, and I tire easily." Rhea kissed her son and her grandchildren on the forehead. She walked up to Kurt and looked him over, "Congratulations on your new domain, my dear." Leaning over, she kissed Kurt on the forehead, before disappearing.

When Kurt was positive she was completely gone, he turned to Paul, "So you aren't leaving?"

Paul didn't look at Kurt, instead scrunching up his face in thought, "I'm no longer going to be under house-arrest, but mother _strongly_ implied it would be in everyone's best interest if I reclaimed my domain; sooner, rather than later to prevent any further discord in the family. I'll be returning to the Underworld, as planned, but it'll be of my _own_ volition and I'll be free to come and go as I please."

After struggling with pent up excitement over what he'd just learned and what happened at the mall earlier, he couldn't contain himself any longer. Launching himself at Paul, he threw his arms around the man, hugging him as tightly as he could. "Yay!"

**xoxoxo**

**Technically, the title should be "dea" ex machina (since "dea" is Latin for goddess), but it just didn't sound as nice.  
>Almost over; one or two chapters left, then an epilogue or two.<br>**


	69. Love's Labours Won

"This is a _lot_ harder than I thought it would be." Kurt tried figuring out how to piece back together the broken yarn with the wool while balancing a drop spindle between his knees.

"It has a very definite learning curve to it. Don't worry though, it's part of your domain, you'll learn more quickly than others." Athena had her own drop spindle, which she was using to create a flawless ply of yarn that was completely uniform and even. Kurt's was…_well_, Athena called it "slubby," which apparently meant it was of different thicknesses and strength depending on what section of the yarn you looked at. Kurt on the other hand would have preferred to call it a 'hot mess.' "Come spring, I'll have you start from scratch."

"Ok…wait, _what?_ I'm making yarn using a _drop spindle –_ not even a spinning wheel – from tufts of wool. How is this not 'from scratch?'" Kurt had been spending some time "bonding" with Athena, the goddess of crafts, as she strove to teach him about the very basics of his own domain.

Athena smiled indulgently at him. "Oh, my dear, there is so much more you need to learn. I'm certain David will be more than willing to let us shear his goats: after all, where do you think the wool comes from? Then I will teach you how to card the wool: make the fibers all go the same direction. Spinning is more important for the moment, however, and you already know how to sew. Once we have progressed past spinning, we can work on weaving, knitting, crocheting. After that, I'll teach you macramé, lacework, embroidery, cross-stitch, needlepoint –"

"Oh, gracious me." Kurt affected the delicate accent of a southern belle, while fanning himself melodramatically with his hand. "Once I've learned all that, perhaps my father can fetch a well-to-do suitor to court me."

Athena rolled her silvery eyes, used to Kurt's obscure sense of humor. "These are the building blocks of your domain, Kurt. You need to understand them – even if you consider them traditionally feminine activities."

"It doesn't bother me that they're effeminate talents. It's pretty hard to deny that I _am_ somewhat effeminate. It's just…dear lord, there's so much to learn. I'm starting to feel like a jack-of-all-trades, master of none. Shouldn't I learn it all instantaneously? Like it was for David? On his birthday, all of a sudden _Ta-Da_! He had all of his powers and the talents related to his domain."

Shaking her head, Athena helped Kurt piece back together another break. "Listen to half of what David tells you about the logistics of being a god and believe only half of that. He's a baby; he knows nothing."

"But his powers-"

"Did _not_ magically appear overnight. First of all, David was _born_ a god, so he already has a slight advantage. His entire being is devoted to caring for a domain; your body and soul are still adjusting. Secondly, David was denied his powers for years; that is not to say he didn't _have_ his powers. Imagine for a second you're cooking a chicken in the oven. You can smell it, but you can't necessarily _see_ it. Once you open the oven door, it hasn't "magically appeared," fully cooked. It was there, cooking all the while."

"So, what you're saying is that David's ideas are half-baked?"

xoxoxo

There were only a few days left until Paul and Sophie's move. It was strange seeing the Karofsky household so empty. Sophie had taken all of her houseplants down to the Underworld, so that the front rooms were decidedly barren. Most of Sophie and Paul's personal effects were getting donated unless they had any sentimental value. Paul had decided to keep all of his books and movies, despite his unlimited access to the largest library in the history of history. They were _his_ and he didn't plan on sharing with anyone.

Some of the nymphs from Sophie's orchard in the Underworld had come to help organize, clean, and box things up. Sophie sat on the living room sofa flipping through a scrapbook, checking out baby pictures of David and earlier pictures of herself and Paul. Paul looked rather dashing in some of his "younger" photos. His hair was darker than David's or his wife's, but it was still brunet: not quite dark enough to be black. There were also some adorable pictures of a toddler-David playing with various small animals, including what looked like a groundhog getting hugged to death in a vice-like grip. Kurt sat beside her "aww-ing" over some of the pictures.

"My lady, where would you like this box to go?" A nymph leaned down so that Sophie could look into the box of miscellany. Kurt had noticed since he had met these particular nymphs that nymphs who lived in the Underworld were far more…_sycophantic_ than their mortal world equivalents: fawning endlessly over Sophie, Kurt and whomever else were around. The nymphs who worked at Olivine were always polite and respectful to Paul, but it was a friendly relationship amongst (relatively) equals. The Underworld nymphs were far more into the scraping and bowing. They weren't "desensitized" to working in such close proximity to their patron gods and goddesses.

Sophie tilted her head to look into the box. "Those are donations. They'll go to Goodwill."

The nymph bent slightly at the waist, bowing, and was about to step back when she noticed something in the box. Reaching her hand in, she pulled out a shiny, silvery necklace adorned with precious stones. "But…Mistress: _Harry Winston_."

Sophie didn't even bat an eye. "So, won't Goodwill be pleasantly surprised, then?"

The nymph bowed again and returned the necklace to the box. Kurt had to give her credit for not pocketing the necklace. He definitely would have been tempted to. Then again, did nymphs even care about things like that? They lived in near-Utopian convenience with all of their needs being met by Paul and Sophie. "Are you going to miss the mortal world?"

Sophie shrugged. "Yes and no. I'm not going to lie; I miss my palace. I love the freedom here, though. But now that the contract between my mother and Paul has been abolished, I suppose I'll have the same freedom in the Underworld. I'll miss my baby, though. You'll make sure he visits, won't you?"

Kurt smiled and placed a hand over Sophie's. "Of course. I'll make him visit at _least_ every weekend. It takes no time to get there; there's no excuse _not_ to visit."

Sophie twisted her torso and wrapped her arms around Kurt's shoulders. "You are the best thing I could have hoped to happen to my son, Kurt. Never believe otherwise."

xoxoxo

David was in the large goat pen in the barn, mucking out the dirty hay and replacing it with fresh stuff. One small billy goat was pulling on the hem of David's shirt with his teeth: just chewing, not saying anything. It reminded Kurt of a little kid. Well, he kind of _was_ a kid, but Kurt meant a human kid, not a goat kid.

Kurt slid the door shut behind himself, careful to let out minimal warmth. He could see his breath clouding in air in front of his face and could feel his nose hairs bristling as his breathing caused them to freeze, thaw, then refreeze. David did well with the cold – in fact he was wearing a light, long-sleeved t-shirt while working – but neither Kurt nor the goats cared for a steady, throbbing cold. There were large, angry-red heaters hanging from the ceiling directed towards the goat and horse pens.

Kurt scanned the room, noticing how much had gone missing – how much had already been moved to the Underworld: the horse tack, troughs, horse toys, and the horses. "Even Lygo?"

David nodded, not turning to face Kurt as he continued pitch forking fresh hay into the goat pen. "Lygo's technically mine, but I have no need for a chariot horse…at least not _yet_ anyway. Gas prices keep going the way they are, well you never know. Lygo's still a baby, as well. I'm gonna let him stay with his parents and hang out with the other steeds. So how's training with Athena going?"

Kurt shrugged noncommittally. He liked her well enough and she was a truly good teacher. "Aside from the fact that she's a slave driver? I like her very much. I'm learning a _lot_. Did you know that aside from sheep, goats and other fibrous pack animals and fibrous plants, you can also make yarn from bamboo, corn and soy? I kind of want to make a soy-based sweater. I still have a ways to go, though."

"What about your sisters? Have you guys been bonding?"

Kurt had indeed been spending a great deal of time with his "sisters," to the point that his real family, his friends, and even his school work to an extent was starting to get a bit forgotten. "Aside from our jaunt over to West End to see _Matilda: The Musical_ – which you already knew about," David had heard briefly about it but didn't care to admit that he had forgotten, "We went to a party somewhere in east Africa, we had our _own_ little party out in the Saudi desert. Did you know how _cold_ deserts get at night? I always figured deserts were _hot_."

David rolled his eyes. "Without any significant source of water to collect solar heat during the day and disperse it during the night, deserts are _notorious_ for having ridiculously cold nights."

"Anyway, we also went to a poetry reading in Japan. It was pretty awesome. Athena has been showing me the basics of my trade, but the girls are showing me how to use my powers to influence humans according to my domain."

"I'm glad you're getting along so well with them. The Muses have always been a very tight, closely knit group. If they accept you as one of them now, they'll have your back for the rest of eternity."

"It's probably the closest bond I ever formed with people that aren't family before." Kurt quirked a small, offset smile. "Or were romantically involved with." David blushed at the way Kurt looked at him and glanced away. Kurt followed his lead and allowed his eyes to one again drift about the barn. So many things were gone. Kurt switched them back to their original topic of discussion, "So after this week, it's just going to be you, some goats and a rat?"

Wiping some sweat from his brow and smearing dirt on his forehead in the process, David then stabbed the pitchfork down into the ground. "And occasionally a preening little peacock…with his pet canary. But no new pets right now; not till college is done, probably. I'm just gonna spoil the pets I have right now. Don't tell Homer, but he's getting a giant Habitrail throughout the house. And a new eBooks reader; his Kindle doesn't respond too well to his paws." David leaned onto the butt end of the pitchfork; he was staring not _at_ Kurt, but through Kurt. He was quiet, but didn't seem upset, so Kurt didn't disrupt his thoughts. "This has got to be…well, there's just _so_ much happening this year. "You and me becoming you and me, then me getting my powers, then you getting harassed by all the gods, then you getting sick, then you getting powers, then my dad getting basically exiled, now my parents moving back to the Underworld, next graduation and then college."

Kurt walked up to David and placed his hands over David's on the pitchfork. "It's been a _very_ stressful year. If you want, we can do the whole European thing and take time off before college. We can tour the world and spend as much time as we want with your mom and dad. I wouldn't object; I'd have more downtime to learn my domain and spend time with my new sisters. And my mommy. You could tour every zoo on earth."

David seemed thoughtful and then a light seemed to come to his eyes. "I think…I think I might like that. We could work on our palace together, as well."

"You know what, Zagreus? That sounds like fun."


	70. Epilogue One - The Kurtofsky Farm

**This is just the first of several epilogues I have planned. This one is just a little insight into what has happened to some of our friends.**

**xoxoxo**

"Would you be horribly insulted if I asked to paint David?" Six years had passed since graduation. Kurt and David had traveled the world while building their "palace" in the year following high school. Their palace was actually just David's parent's home. They had added a third floor as well as wings, so that the house was now a U shape. The top floor was dedicated to Kurt's artistic pursuits and the library. It wasn't quite as magnificent as the palace shared by the muses, but it was lovely for what it was.

And there was always plenty of company: the muses, the graces, Eros and Psyche, Iris and Zephyr, Demeter, Adonis, hordes of nymphs: they all came and went as they pleased. Despite the fact that they were grown men now, the family still saw David and Kurt as the "babies of the family" and adored spending time with them.

Kurt was working on a new design (boot cut jeans that had been separated at the lower foot and a half of seam and then reconnected with a large triangular lace doily-like piece). Aglaea, the grace of splendor, was painting a pastoral landscape of Kurt and David's backyard (which had expanded greatly over the years due to carefully planned land acquisitions as neighbors moved or were offered far more than their homes were worth). Erato and Terpsichore were playing the harp and violin, respectively, while Euterpe hummed along and worked on one of Kurt's weaving looms. "I wouldn't object at all."

"In the nude?"

"That I might object to." Aglaea chewed on the rear of her paintbrush and smiled lustily out the picture window, no doubt ogling David.

Most the muses and graces were insufferable flirts; Kurt had gotten used to it. In fact, by now it had become a running joke: see who could rile Kurt up the most or make David turn the brightest shade of red. Everyone knew David would never stray…and if he did, may the gods have mercy on his soul. Kurt had already proven himself time and time again to be a very vindictive little bitch. He wasn't quite as nasty as some of the gods, but when he was displeased with someone, he'd find little ways to get his revenge. His sophomore year in college, one of Kurt's professors had the nerve to insult one of Kurt's ensembles…that professor then had her portfolio torn apart in front of her students by a visiting professional designer. That same designer had then praised Kurt's portfolio in front of the class, to no end.

Kurt had debuted his fashion line during New York's fashion week his junior year. Two and a half years later, he was on the fast track to stardom.

David had completed his husbandry degree at UConn and was currently taking veterinary courses at Ohio State. He still had no intention of being a veterinarian, but he wanted to know how to take care of the injured, sick and abandoned animals he came across. When they had moved back to Lima, full-time, a year ago, David had begun expanding his animal collection exponentially. He installed a large glass greenhouse in the yard that served as an aviary and housed innumerable finches, canaries, cockatiels, budgies, doves and parrots. A second barn (the first being the goat barn) housed all of his cold-blooded friends. A third barn was home to ferrets, chinchillas, sugar gliders, degu, hedgehogs, hamsters, guinea pigs, gerbils, rats, mice and rabbits.

It hadn't taken long for neighbors to realize David and Kurt would take in any sob-story they came across and, before long, David stopped needing to go in search of new acquisitions; word had spread and it now seemed that all of Allen County knew they could ditch unwanted pets at 48 Grove Lane.

David was trying to register as a non-profit organization. He wanted their home to be a safe house for all abused or neglected animals. He already had a few licenses that gave him legal permission to rehabilitate a few types of wild animals, but he wanted to take it further. He wanted to create a place that would care for all types of animals unconditionally while educating the public on proper pet care. David was a dreamer and Kurt loved him for it.

And occasionally in spite of it.

Faintly, Kurt could hear the downstairs door open. A moment later, there was a clomping noise as someone hopped up the stairs. Kurt didn't need to look up to know who it was. "Well, I've been kicked out of my British writers of the romance period lecture."

"Permanently, or temporarily?"

The young, scruffy blond boy at the door shrugged. "I can't come back until I publicly apologize for calling my professor an elitist cacafuego, though I don't think I'll apologize until _he's_ apologized for insulting Shelley…_and_ for calling me a coccydynia."

Kurt rolled his eyes. This was the third class Homer had been kicked out of. He was arrogant and stubborn, but even worse was that he was intelligent. If he were stupid, his professors could easily forgive him strong opinions due to his ignorance, but it was harder to forgive someone who was intelligent enough to easily prove anyone wrong on any topic. Professors didn't like being proven wrong. "David didn't turn you human so you could get booted out of every class you enjoy. You need to learn humility and humbleness. When someone says something stupid, just smile and nod while insulting them _in your head_."

Homer harrumphed indignantly as he flopped into one of Kurt's over-stuffed armchairs, a collection of Tennyson's poetry in hand. "I wouldn't have to bite my tongue if Ohio State weren't handing out tenure in Happy Meals."

There was the quietest rustling noise as a second rat – this one actually in rat form – scuttled across the floor. Homer lowered his hand down to her level and invited the fancy tan and white rat to climb up his arm. She was a Siamese rat, with absolutely adorable markings, in Kurt's opinion.

And though he wouldn't admit it, Homer's opinion, as well.

Cottonball was everything Homer wasn't; she was domesticated, first of all. She had been born in a pet shop about three years ago and had very lovingly been cared for by a teenage boy until he went off to school and his parents dropped her off at the Karofsky-Hummel homestead. She was quiet, shy, gentle and dumb as a brick. Once again, everything Homer was not. But Homer loved her; she was a very eager student and clung to every word Homer uttered. She desperately wanted to learn, her brain just wasn't the steel trap Homer's was. Homer didn't mind though; aside from David, she was the one creature he truly had patience for.

Pavarotti was still single, but he was a very happy bachelor. For the most part, he lived in the aviary, hanging out with all the other birds. He loved having other birds to sing with. Kurt spent time in the aviary everyday, enjoying the lovely music the birds made and occasionally drawing inspiration from their stunning colors. Homer would visit the aviary every now and then as well; he and Pavarotti were the best of frenemies.

There was the distinct smell of farm life as David came upstairs to join them. Kurt scrunched up his nose in distaste. "Ew, David. _Shower_." David seemed to not hear him, but when he sat down on the arm of Kurt's chair, he intentionally scooted as close to Kurt as he could and very dramatically lifted his arm to wrap it around Kurt's shoulders. Kurt practically gagged as the smell of David's armpits wafted around him. "You smell like wet _dog_."

David dangled a small square envelope in front of Kurt's face. "We got a letter from Prince Charming and Ferret-Face."

"Oh! It's our invitation to the shower!" Kurt snatched the silver-grey envelope from David and swiped his finger under the fold to open it. Pulling the heavily embossed invitation from its holder, Kurt reverently unfolded the slip of paper. "It's in three weeks; on the fourth. That's perfect; I don't have to be in Paris until the sixth."

David, still sitting on the arm of Kurt's chair, leaned forward to read over his shoulder. "Do we have to get them anything?"

Slapping his hand and the invitation down on his thigh in exaggerated annoyance, Kurt narrowed his eyes. "It's their _wedding shower_. Of _course_ we're getting them something." Kurt calmed as he looked over the invitation again in jealous admiration. "I think they're registered at Ethan Allen."

"What about that cook-set we got them the _first_ time they got married? It's not my fault the marriage was shorter than the average lifespan of a _housefly_."

Kurt whacked his boyfriend in the arm. "Quit being cheap. They're our _friends_."

"_Your_ friends. I'm just tagging along because I happen to like New York and want to go to the M&M store in Times Square."

"You _are_ aware that M&Ms taste the same no matter _what_ color they are, correct?"


	71. Epilogue Two - Tale as Old as Time

**I speak no Italian. If I effed up the Italian dialogue, please tell me (I want it to be formal Italian, if that makes any kind of difference).**

**xoxoxo**

_**Several years later…**_

Kurt tiptoed into his and David's bedroom around four in the morning. He wasn't entirely sure why he was tiptoeing; he had every intention of waking David up. He'd been watching the election results slowly filter in from around the country. The presidential election was of no interest to him though. His lovely boyfriend was wrapped up in sheets; there were no sheets left for Kurt, but he didn't mind. He had no intention of sleeping. Not now, not tonight. David clutched the sheets up around chin, his bicep flexing slightly as his chest rose and fell. He had a tattoo around his bicep now; it was one of those tribal armband tattoos that looked like interlocking waves encircling his arm. Given his shape-shifting abilities, he could make it go away the moment Kurt became sick of it, but for now, it stayed. Kurt climbed up onto the bed, kneeling beside Dave. When David didn't stir, he bent down and started kissing along the tattoo.

David shifted just the teensiest bit. Kurt leaned even further and kissed his lips. David didn't wake up, but his subconscious made him turn into the kiss, the softest sigh escaping from his throat. "_Wake up_." David whimpered as Kurt's lips left his. Kurt nudged David's shoulder. "Wake up." David's eyelids began to flutter. Now that Kurt knew David was well on his way to waking up, Kurt began bouncing on the bed. "Wake up. Wake up. Wake up. Up, up, up!"

David groaned and stared at his boyfriend between heavy eyelids. "Whu?"

"It passed!"

David stared uncomprehendingly at Kurt for another moment. "Ok." His head crashed back against his pillow and he closed his eyes again.

Sighing heavily, Kurt placed his hands on David's shoulders and began shaking him in earnest. "Wake UP!"

"Um-up, um-up." David sat up, his eyes still only partially opened. He blinked them slowly, one at a time, trying to get his eyes adjusted to the weak hall light filtering in through the partially opened bedroom door. "Whas up?"

"It _passed_."

"Wha passed?"

"The _ballot_. The ballot passed! Same-sex marriage is now _legal_ in Ohio."

Blinking rapidly to get the sleep out of his eyes, David rubbed his head, trying to wake himself up. "It _passed_?"

"Yep. Well, the ballots aren't all in from Summit, but even if _everyone_ in Summit County voted against it, it would _still_ pass."

David was quiet while he let that penetrate his sleep-addled brain. "That's…that's incred – Aphrodite must be pissed as all hell. I kinda want to go rub it in!" David started chortling to himself as he pulled the sheets off and twisted to the side, flinging his legs over the edge of the bed. He looked like he really _was_ going to start rubbing salt in Aphrodite's wounds.

Kurt placed one of his hands over David's. "Before you go piss her off…" Kurt slipped his free hand into his pocket and deftly pulled something out of it. "David Zagreus Karofsky…will you marry me?"

David looked dumbfounded at the silver colored band Kurt held out for David. Almost numb to the world and unseeing, David mutely moved his left hand closer to Kurt; hovering it in the air, he could see the slight trembles of nervousness in his own. Kurt's face exploded in the most brilliant smile David had ever seen as he slid the ring onto David's finger. "Yes…yes, I'll marry you." Once the ring was firmly on David's finger, David pulled Kurt into a smothering kiss.

"It's a titanium ring. I figured it was the best material since it's so durable…you can still do all your work with only minimal damage to the ring."

David barely heard what Kurt said. "I love you Kurt. I love you _so_ much."

xoxoxo

"I should be mad at you for not telling me. I mean, that's pretty rotten of you keeping a secret like that from your _son_."

Paul smiled guiltily and tottered back and forth from his toes to his heels. "Kurt asked me to make him a titanium ring and gave me the ring size. I asked no questions, so I told _you_ no lies."

"But you _knew_." David held his arms straight out to the sides so the tailor could continue his measurements. Kurt was designing their weddings suits (as well as the groomsmen's suits and the bridesmaid's dresses), but he had outsourced their actual production to some highly skilled tailors he had befriended in London, Italy, and France over the years.

"I may have had an _inkling_."

"An inkling?"

Shrugging, Paul smirked at his son. "Would you rather I ruin the surprise?"

Kurt kicked open the studio door and huffed into the room, lugging a few bolts of heavy fabric. Plopping them down on the nearest work surface, Kurt planted his fists on his hips and eyed over the four bolts of fabric. "Hmmm…I've definitely settled on black for your tux…it's your favorite color, after all…but I can't decide between the satin and the silk."

"I just _love_ wearing boiled caterpillars."

Kurt smiled proudly to himself. "It's called _Eri silk_. It's not the same quality as regular silk, but the caterpillars aren't killed in the process. It's also known as _peace silk_." Kurt petted the bolt of Eri silk affectionately. It was unique and special, but rugged and soft…like David. It was perfect for him. "I'm going to go with the Eri silk for you, I think. Have you talked to Homer, yet?"

"He's refusing to be the ring-bearer. He says he's not a trained monkey and has no intention of parading himself around for your family's amusement. I told him it had nothing to do with the fact that he's a rat and would look very cute carrying our rings down the aisle with Cottonball, and everything to do with the fact that he's my _friend_. He wouldn't listen, as usual." David had turned Homer back into a rat after Homer had decided mortal institutions of higher learning were beneath him and he was better left to his own independent study.

Kurt was completely convinced Homer wanted to be a rat again because of Cottonball.

"Mi scusi, Signore Hummel e Signore Karofsky. Lo sono finito."

"Grazie, signore." Kurt nodded respectfully to the old master and picked up the bolts of silk; handing them to the man, he added on, "Questi, per favore."

"Buona scelta."

Kurt took David's hand and led him out of the tailor's studio, Paul tagging along. As "father of the bride," Paul felt inclined to pay for the wedding expenses. When Kurt had argued that neither he _nor_ David were the "bride," Paul had pointed out that _Kurt_ was the one that had proposed, which was followed by Sophie arguing that Kurt was the pants-wearer in their relationship: always had been, always would be. Once they were out of sight of anyone but gods, Kurt, David and Paul "popped" themselves over to Marais, in Paris. It was a cute little village. It reminded both David and Kurt of Belle's village in _Beauty and the Beast_. The cobblestone roads were decidedly _not_ comfortable in Kurt's heels, however. Rounding a few corners, the trio found the address Kurt had stored in his phone.

A middle-aged brunette woman was leaning in her doorway talking to a neighbor when they arrived. "Ah! Bonjour Kurt! How are you? Your line looks absolutely fabulous this season. It is doing well, no? I simply _adore_ the sketches you showed me for your tuxedo."

"It's good to see you, as well, Laetitia. This is my fiancé, David, and my future father-in-law Paul." Laetitia held out her hand daintily towards Paul and then David, each kissing her knuckles, gentlemanly.

Laetitia looked David over, very interested in what specimen of male could possibly catch Kurt's discerning eye. "Are you enjoying Paris, so far? It is not always the friendliest city towards tourists, but Kurt is practically a native." Laetitia stepped aside and allowed the three men to pass by her into her home.

"I love Paris. Always have. I never have any issues with rudeness…any more than I get when I go to New York, anyway. I was born in Salon-de-Provence. I was only a few months old when my parents moved me to the states, though. It's still where my grandmother lives, however."

"Ah, Provence. I have been there for the summer once. Absolutely _gorgeous_. I love the vineyards. So you, Mr. Karofsky, you are from France?"

Paul shook his head. "No, sorry. I was just a cad and a tourist. My wife is the one who actually _lived_ there; when we found out about David, though…well, I did the honorable thing." Kurt smiled at David. He and his parents were so skillful at spinning lies that even Kurt couldn't be entirely certain when they were telling the truth. They always kept the lies _just_ close enough to the truth that they could adjust their lies as need be. It was a useful skill for a god living among mortals.

Laetitia smirked at Paul. "It is usually the women who come to France expecting to fall in love, not so much the men, in my experience. And Salon-de-Provence is an interesting choice for a tourist. Paris, of course. Nice, Cannes, Bordeaux, Avignon…these are our tourist destinations. Not Salon-de-Provence."

Paul shrugged. "What can I say? I'm a huge fan of Nostradamus."

From the corner of his mouth, Kurt whispered to David, in Swahili, "Did Nostradamus really live in Provence, or is your dad talking out his ass?"

David looked completely befuddled. "I dunno. Ask _him_."

Laetitia and Paul chatted amicably about France, only occasionally asking or even _allowing_ input from David and Kurt. Kurt just allowed himself to be manipulated by Laetitia while she took his measurements.

xoxoxo

Kurt adjusted his tuxedo in the mirror. He had received it from Laetitia weeks ago, but this was the first time he'd allowed himself to try it on. He trusted Laetitia's tailoring abilities, but was terrified to see how his own creation had turned out. Sucking in his lip, Kurt smiled at his reflection. Lilac had been a rather bold color for a wedding tux, but Kurt felt his complexion and the cut of the suit were enough to carry the adventurous color. It wasn't _completely_ lilic, though. That would have been overdoing it, even by Kurt's standards. The vest was white, the dress shirt and lapels were black. The bow tie was a matching lilac, though. David's own tux was completely black aside from the blood-red embroidery on his vest that formed a swirling, abstract design. It had been inspired by the heavy Victorian style of floral embroidery. He'd seen the pattern in an old mansion's wallpaper, but David didn't need to know that.

This was it…in less than an hour he and David would _finally_ be married. His family (and a good deal of Carol's) was there. All of Kurt's friends. A lot of David's family. Hell, some of the kids from McKinley that helped out at the farm for volunteer credit hours even came to the wedding. It was a packed house. Kurt could do this. He wasn't going to wimp out. He used to sing in front of thousands; that's all this was, a little performance. He could _do_ this.

"Kurt, if you grip that counter any tighter, you're going to dent it." Kurt wheeled around and came face to face with his best friend, Blaine. "Yikes…I'd say someone's got a case of the pre-wedding jitters." Blaine placed his finger under Kurt's chin and forced him to lift his head slightly. "I didn't think it was possible, but you look even _paler_ than usual."

"I'm _terrified_."

Blaine scoffed and rolled his eyes. "Of _what_? You two have been together for over a decade. Nothing is going to change Kurt…just your _taxes,_ which you've never had to worry about, anyway."

"So what went wrong with you?" Kurt didn't mean it to sound so blunt, so he elaborated. "I mean…you and Sebastian were _so_ happy, and perfect, and then you got married and…_poof_! Fairy tale up in smoke."

Blaine didn't look at all offended. "We were young and stupid. We thought being in college meant we knew everything; boy were _we_ wrong. I still thought the world was full of wine and roses…Sebastian thought the world was full of new beds to conquer. I wasn't getting the romance I needed; he wasn't getting the…'variety' _he_ needed."

"Did he have an affair?" Kurt never really questioned the divorce, too much. It had been painful for Blaine at the time, and by the time the pain had worn off, Blaine and Sebastian were dating, again. At that point, Kurt figured it would tacky to ask.

Shaking his head, Blaine responded mournfully. "No. Thankfully; it would have been impossible for me to trust him, again, if that happened. I'm sure it probably would have saved our marriage in the _short run_. As long as he could have hid it from me, he would have been happy, and he would have been all too happy to make _me_ happy. Instead, he stayed loyal and it made him _miserable_…which in turn made _me_ miserable."

"So what's changed for you? How are you guys making it work this time?"

"Easy…we _grew up._ He's finished with his roaming and I'm a bit more realistic about the real world. You and Dave won't ever have to worry about that. You were _born_ grown up, Kurt, and David's _never_ going to grow up. But it's good for both of you." Blaine placed a steadying hand on Kurt's shoulder, careful to keep eye contact. "You compliment each other; you're serious and down to earth, David's a big kid. You make him act his age; David makes you loosen up a bit. So…you just about ready to walk down that aisle? I can hear the music."

The soft and delicate opening strains of an epic composition by Kurt's 'sisters' wafted throughout the wedding hall. The music greatly soothed Kurt. According to Erato, the music was something she had intended to 'give' to John Williams someday, but the opportunity had never arisen. She figured Kurt's wedding was as appropriate a debut for the song as any.

Kurt knew the wedding choreography by heart. Finn's toddler son should be carrying the rings down the aisle right…about…_now_. The oohing and awing of the crowd confirmed Kurt's timing. A few strains of music later and the daughter of one of Sophie's nymphs should be heading down the aisle: their flower girl.

Next up was David's groomsmen and bridesmaids, starting with one of his own nymphs he'd grown close to, Eleni. Like the other Epimelides, she was very pale with white hair and bright, lively eyes. Eleni came down the aisle side by side with Aristaeus, a hunter-god and one of David's closest friends. After them came Aaron and Sarah, followed by Hedone and, of all people, Azimio. Kurt had never expected David and Azimio to remains friends, but they had. Even more shocking than that to Kurt was the knowledge he had gathered at their last family-friend get-together. Apparently, any time Hedone and Azimio were in close-proximity of one another, Azimio "got some." Kurt would like to blame that on the fact that Hedone was nothing short of a slut (which she took as a compliment), but she claimed to genuinely enjoy Z's company. She claimed he had a "good imagination."

Kurt didn't want to know if that meant more than she said.

Kurt's own groomsmen and bridesmaids came next:

Mercedes accompanied Adonis, who had gotten back into modeling since Kurt had started designing. He was a prima donna if there ever was one, but Kurt loved him. After that came Chelsea; a girl Kurt had befriended in college, and Blaine. Too bad Blaine was gay; Kurt couldn't help thinking how gorgeous the two looked side by side. After them came Finn and Rachel. Thanks to a bit of work by Aaron, they were still together and still madly in love.

Following all the groomsmen and bridesmaids came Paul and Sophie, then Burt and Carol. Unlike the groomsmen and bridesmaids who flocked either side of the alter, the parents of the wedding couple took their places in the front pews.

Meanwhile, Kurt stood behind the wedding hall in the entrance hall on one side of the aisle, where he couldn't be seen by the organized crowd. David stood opposite him. David looked Kurt over and blushed. "You ready for this?"

David, poking his tongue between his teeth, nodded. "Yeah…Been ready my whole life." Something seemed to come to David and his demeanor relaxed considerably. "Hey, guess what my mom just told me?"

"What?"

"Well, now that she and my dad are free to come and go from the Underworld as they please…things have…_changed_ a bit. My mom didn't want to say anything, because she didn't want to steal any attention from our wedding day, but –"

"_David, _out with it. We have ten seconds before my parents take their seats and we have to start down that aisle."

"My mom's pregnant!"

Kurt's eyes went wide and his mouth dropped. "You have got to be…" David approached Kurt and held out his arm for him. Realizing it was time to head down the aisle, Kurt was momentarily silenced. Whispering as quietly as he could and still allowing David to hear him, Kurt continued his thought as they walked arm in arm by their friends and family. "I'm so _happy_ for her… _them_! This is so wonderful. She should have _said_ something! A little brother or sister for you is like the _best_ wedding present _ever_!"

Chuckling, David tried shushing Kurt. "Yeah. That means my mom's gonna be up on Earth for a while – until little baby "it" is born, but after that, she and my dad want to raise the baby as the godly prince or princess that they are."

"Don't want to make the same mistakes they made for you, huh?" Kurt patted David jokingly on the arm as they stepped up to the altar. The muses' music quieted until it was little more than background ambiance and the pastor (Hymen, god of marriages) started his speech.

Kurt slipped his hand into David's and rocked it slowly back and forth as they smiled at each other, both completely tuning out Hymen and wrapped up in their own love for each other.

**xoxoxo**

**The Italian (theoretically) translates to:**

"**Excuse me, Mr. Hummel and Mr. Karofsky. I am finished****."**

"**Thank you, sir." Kurt nodded respectfully to the old master and picked up the bolts of silk; handing them to the man, he added on, "****This one, please****."**

"**Good choice."**


	72. Epilogue Three - Honey part 1

**This is epilogue 3. There should be 5 total.**

**xoxoxo**

Kurt sat on the back porch, stitching up some of David's clothes that he'd wrecked while working at the zoo. Yes, after all this time, David had finally gotten his wish and lived in an honest-to-goodness zoo. A younger Kurt probably would have been disgusted by the idea of living surrounded by so many animals, but an older – and possibly even wiser – Kurt found that the animals gave him a hitherto unknown patience and serenity. When he wasn't designing clothes or running his fashion line or preparing for fashion shows, he greatly enjoyed helping David with the animals.

And they even had a little extra help for the day.

Kurt put the battered cotton shirt down in his lap for a minute while he watched David twirl his young sister around in the air. Kalli had wildflowers woven into her long, plaited brown hair. She had a softly sun-kissed complexion like her mother and bright, almost mischievous eyes. And well she should; as goddess of summer and of freedom, she embodied the spirit of every child let out of school for the year. The way her parents (and Kurt and David and Demeter and just about every other god out there) treated her, she had the potential to be the most spoiled child ever to walk the earth. Yet, she was everything that was good about the summer world; she was warm breezes and lazy afternoons, cool swims in the pool and beautiful hikes through the park.

To everyone who met her, Kallodoro was the personification of happiness.

David lowered his giggling sister onto her back in the grass, where she started rolling back and forth to avoid David's tickling fingers. When she was on her stomach and David was tickling her sides, Kalli started crawling away. "Stop it Zagreus!" Kurt smiled as Kalli's high-pitched squeal carried across a hundred yards and into the enclosed porch where Kurt sat. "You're gonna make me pee!" Kurt placed his hand over his mouth to cover his own laugh as he stood to go break up the siblings. David really would keep tickling the seven-year-old until she peed herself. By the time Kurt had reached David and Kalli, Kalli was trying to get her breath back. David sat on the ground beside her, rubbing her back. "You done torturing your sister?"

Sliding his hands under Kalli's armpits, he pulled his little sister into his lap, cuddling her close to his body. "For now."

xoxoxo

Kurt watched silently from the doorway as David tucked Kalli into bed in the guest room. Kurt felt strange watching the interactions between David and his sister; he wasn't entirely certain what it _was_ that he felt. Was he jealous that he had never had any brothers or sisters? Was he jealous that Kalli practically worshipped her brother while Kurt was just…_there_?

When David had kissed Kalli on the forehead and stood, Kurt held out his hand for David. They walked to their bedroom together, Kurt squeezing David's hand warmly.

xoxoxo

_One year later_

Kurt adjusted the sleeve on the piece he was working on at the moment; he wasn't certain how he was feeling about the asymmetrical look he was creating in the outfit. Oh, the fashion industry would rant and rave about how brilliant the design was – they always did – but the only opinion that really mattered was Kurt's own opinion. He was getting a bit frustrated. He couldn't get it to look the way it did in his mind. He hadn't been able to get the sketches to match his vision either, but figured he'd find out that "je ne c'est quoi" once he had gotten there.

There was the ringing of the doorbell and Kurt was happy for the temporary distraction. It took him a minute or so to get down the three flights of stairs and meet whomever it was at the front door. It was their mailman. He had an armload of things for Kurt and David and official business stuff for the zoo. It wasn't an unusual occurrence for the mailman to be overloaded with mail for them. "Hey, Bill. How are you today?"

"Wonderful, Mr. Hummel. You got a drop-off this morning."

"Oh for the love of…" Kurt looked down at his feet and saw a ratty shoebox by the side of the door. "I swear, it better not be any more hamsters. I'm so _sick_ of hamsters."

"My daughter loves her guinea pig, by the way. She told me to thank you guys for him."

Kurt returned the mailman's smile. "I'm glad she does. He needed a good home. What'd she name him?" Kurt took the load of mail from Bill and placed it on a table they kept just inside the door for this very purpose.

"Cactus…you know, because his hair is," Bill placed his hands by his head trying to use his fingers to indicate spikes, "so pointy."

"Yeah, the Abyssinians always have the craziest hair. Well, you have a good day, Bill. Tell us if Nicky needs any help with Cactus." The mailman waved and headed back out to his truck. Kurt watched him pull out of the driveway before bending over to retrieve the shoebox.

As soon as he touched it, he heard a small voice inside, "Hewwo?" There was a small pause as the voice waited for a response. "Hewwo? It's dawk. It's dawk and my head hurts and you're not my mommy." Kurt rolled his eyes. It wasn't uncommon for someone to drop off baby animals that they had found; people often confused babies found away from their parents as being "lost"…they didn't understand that, more often than not, the parents would be reunited with their baby again if _left alone_. It was like someone finding a child wandering around the supermarket and deciding to drop them off at an orphanage.

Shutting the front door behind himself, Kurt lifted the lid off the shoe box. It looked like a small black and white kitten in the box. Brightness flooded into the box from the overhead hall light, prompting the baby critter to lift its head and blink at Kurt, dazedly. Kurt's perception of the creature had been partially correct; it _was_ a kitten…just not a _cat_ kitten. It was a skunk kitten. Possibly a month old if its size was any indication. "Hello, sweety."

Kurt lowered his hand to the baby and tried stroking its head, only to have it back away from his hand. "No touch mah head."

Kurt pulled his hand back. "Ok, I'm sorry. I won't touch your head." Kurt brought the box out to the kitchen. He should be able to see David (or one of his nymphs or the volunteers who worked at the zoo) through the large kitchen window, so he could alert him to the new rescue. Kurt placed the shoebox on the kitchen counter and reached into the box to lift out the baby skunk. "What's your name, sweety?"

"My momma calls me Honeythuckle."

Kurt leaned down so he could get a closer look at the little baby. It was a precious little thing. "Honeysuckle is a lovely little name for you." As he got closer, Kurt noticed something wrong with the baby skunk. One of its eyes was squeezed shut and the fur looked glossy – _wet_ – just above that eye. "Honeysuckle, I'm gonna be very gentle, but I want to see something, ok?"

Honey backed up in the shoebox as far away from Kurt as it could. "No hurt me."

"I'm not going to hurt you." Kurt moved a single finger towards Honeysuckle and swiped it as delicately as he could across the wet-looking part of its head. His finger came back with a large streak of dark pinkish-red blood. "Oh, you're bleeding. How'd you get hurt?"

"I dunno. I don' remember…Mah head hurts."

"I'm going to go get my husband, ok. He's the god of little skunkies like you, ok? He can make you feel all better." Kurt didn't wait for the skunk to respond and instead headed out the back door to find David. It took a few inquiries of the volunteers, but after fifteen minutes of searching, he found David in the "welcome center." It was the official address of the zoo: the former house of a neighbor that had moved. It was the only other house in the area David hadn't demolished to make more room for the zoo. The upstairs had been gutted and converted into a classroom that displayed information about native wildlife; it was just the right size to address a class of students who occasionally came on fieldtrips from local schools. The main floor had been remodeled so that what used to be the living room was now home to the information desk and the kitchen and dining room had been converted into a break lounge for workers and volunteers. The garage just off the house was home to seasonal necessities: snow blowers, lawn mowers, rakes, shovels, brooms, and the like.

David was on the second floor, sitting in on a presentation for a troop of Girl Scouts. The presenter was a high school student from McKinley that David was mentoring. She wanted to be a biologist some day, so David gave her as much experience in different areas with the animals as possible. She had several cages of common "pest" species that she was educating the Girl Scouts on. A squirrel lay in her arms, just chilling, as the girl showed the scouts the different parts of the squirrel and how it used them for survival (tail for balance, claws for climbing, color for camouflage, etc.). Kurt tapped David on the shoulder to get his attention. "We have a new rescue. It's a hurt baby skunk. He's got head-bleeding."

David jumped out of his seat and followed Kurt back to their own house. During the time Kurt had been searching for David, the skunk kitten had fallen asleep…at least Kurt _hoped_ that's why the skunk was so quiet and still. David looked at the baby for about half a second before scooping up the box and rushing off to his small veterinarian office that had, at one point, been his parent's bedroom.

It took several hours, but David finally came out of the exam room, splotches of blood on his shirt. "I hate people. I really, truly, fucking hate the human race." David didn't wait for Kurt to ask what had happened. "He had a fractured skull. He's sleeping right now, but when I was initially cleaning up his head, trying to assess the damage, I was able to piece together what had happened to him. Apparently, he was running around in someone's garden when the homeowner spotted him, freaked out and hit him with the backside of a hoe. Thankfully, his wife saw what happened, boxed him up and left him on our stoop."

Kurt felt his heart clench. "Is he going to be ok?"

David shrugged. "Define 'ok'? He's probably going to have some lasting damage; he'll never be able to be released back into the wild. He'll live, though."

xoxoxo

Despite Kurt's protests, only David was allowed around Honeysuckle for the next few days as he monitored his recovery. On day three, David called Kurt downstairs for the big reveal. David stood in front of the closed door to his veterinary office. As Kurt was bouncing on his toes in front of the room, David turned the doorknob and pushed the door open. Honeysuckle had been waiting just as anxiously on the other side of door. He scuttled out, having a bit of a hard time coordinating walking with not getting his plastic medical cone stuck on the floor. His head had been shaved so David could piece him back together. Small, ugly black stitches dotted the area between his ears. "Oh…you poor _baby_." Kurt scooped Honeysuckle into his hands and held the baby skunk close against his chest. Honeysuckle wrapped his tail around his body and settled down to sleep in Kurt's arms.

Over the next few weeks, Kurt and Honeysuckle became inseparable. If Honey was hungry, Kurt bottle-fed him. If Honey was tired, he curled up to sleep in Kurt's lap. If Honey got cold, Kurt dressed him up in one of the dozens of outfits he had created specifically for his little skunk baby.

Honey rolled around on his back, his paws stretched out over his head as he reached for one of the many stuffed toys Kurt had given him. Kurt dangled the toy just out of Honey's reach, prompting the skunk to grunt in playful frustration. When it looked like Honey had lost interest in fighting to get the toy, Kurt placed it on Honey's stomach. Honey grabbed the toy between his paws and started chewing on it. "All right, baby boy. Time for bed." Honey flipped back onto his stomach and waddled over to Kurt. Kurt picked him up and cuddled him close to his chest, placing little kisses on Honey's now-healed head. The fur David had shaved off had grown back nice and fluffy, often tickling Kurt in his sleep as Honey pressed his little head against Kurt's cheek or neck.

Honey was the first into bed, running around the sheets as Kurt and David got changed into their pajamas. Kurt was the next to crawl into bed, followed by David. David spooned Kurt, and Honey curled up against Kurt's chest. Tonight though, Honey wasn't sleeping. Instead, his two small black eyes stared at Kurt in the dark of the bedroom, waiting patiently for Kurt to notice him. "What's up, Honey?"

"I don' havva momma."

"I know sweety. I'm sorry you lost your mommy."

Honey placed his tiny paws on Kurt's chest. "Will _you_ be my momma?"

Kurt's throat got tight and his eyes felt hot. "Oh, _Honey_. How 'bout I be your daddy?"

Honey thought about that for a minute. "Ok. Nigh-nigh dada."


	73. Epilogue Four - Honey part 2

Every now and then Kurt was required to go to New York to attend meetings with the company that produced his fashion designs. He was one of the largest shareholders in the company, but he didn't take much advantage of his position. He didn't want anything to do with the bureaucratic crap that came with being a major shareholder. He didn't even like going to these occasional meetings. He recognized he had responsibilities though and plastered on a fake smile as he sat at the long, oval boardroom table. The other members of the board kept fighting the urge to send Kurt an odd look.

He had shown up to the meeting with one of those purses designed for dogs. There had been a momentary stir of excitement as some of the other fashionistas wanted to see what kind of puppy Kurt had brought with him. The excitement quickly died into quiet shock when Kurt pulled Honeysuckle out of the bag and placed his baby in his lap as he pulled his chair in. One of the "suits" – a CEO who had no love of fashion but a keen eye for business – voiced his objections. It took only a well-schooled glare from Kurt to get the man to keep his peace and prevent anyone else from speaking up. Even still, the other board members stole curious glances at Kurt every few moments, hoping to catch a peek at Honey.

Around ten thirty, a young blonde secretary came into the room, disrupting the meeting. She went around the table, taking lunch orders on her clipboard. "Does Sully still do those wonderful baked onion rings? I'll have an order of those and a garden salad with Italian vinaigrette on the side and…I think I'm in the mood for a lemon water." The secretary thanked him (Kurt still didn't understand why she did that; technically, shouldn't _he_ be thanking _her_?) and was about to continue on to the next CEO when Kurt stopped her. "Also, I need a serving of mixed vegetables and a small serving of plain oatmeal." Honey, recognizing his own order of food, grunted in excitement and drew the attention of the secretary. Her eyes bulged out of their sockets and she dropped the clipboard as she backed away from Kurt and Honey. Kurt snickered at her. "This is Honeysuckle. My husband and I have been raising him." The secretary didn't look assuaged at all. "He's an absolute sweety. He doesn't bite, scratch, spray…he's a little lovey." Kurt adjusted Honeysuckle so that they were face to face. Kurt kissed Honeysuckle's nose, prompting the skunk to lick him. "Aren't you, my little boo-bear?"

A fellow fashion designer moved closer to Kurt. She had been curious about the skunk all morning, but, like everyone else, she had tried her best to ignore it. "Can I pet him?"

Kurt nodded, holding out Honey for her inspection. She ran her hand down Honey's back. Honey butted his head against her hand like a cat or dog, prompting more people to come closer and check out Kurt's unusual pet.

xoxoxo

Honey darted around the living room, trying not to get underfoot as he inspected what his daddy and papa were doing. "Ok…ok, it's in the stand. I'll hold it up while you tighten the screws." Kurt got down on his hands and knees to crawl under the tree and adjust the stand so that the tree was securely gripped. David tentatively took his hands off the tree, checking to make sure it was sturdy. "Ok…looks good."

Kurt crawled back out from under the tree, looking it over and wiping his hands on his pants. "Looks beautiful. All right, lets go get the ornaments." David led the way down to the basement. Honey fought his urge to follow after Kurt; the tree was too tempting. David and Kurt came back up a few minutes later, each carrying a box of ornaments. Kurt could hear David laughing softly to himself, and, lowering his own box, Kurt could see why. Honey had climbed up the tree about two feet. "Honey…what are you doing? Striped skunks don't climb trees."

"Uhm not a skunk. Uhmma grithly bear. Raw!" Kurt rolled his eyes and pulled Honey out of the tree.

xoxoxo

David, Kurt, Honey, Homer, Snowball, and Pavarotti were all curled up together on a loveseat in Honey's own bedroom. Kurt had "The Night Before Christmas" open in his lap as David and the animals listened along to him reading. _"__But I heard him exclaim, ere he drove out of sight-__Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night."_ Snowball sighed happily while Homer rolled his eyes at her sentimentality. He loved her dearly, but she was such a sap.

Honey poked his nose against the glossy images in the book; his eyesight wasn't too great, so he had to get close to things to see them very well. "Who's Sain' Nick?"

"Well…Saint Nicholas is another name for Santa Claus."

"Wassa Sanna Clause?"

Kurt wasn't really sure _how_ to explain. Honeysuckle had been having the time of his life helping Kurt and David prepare for Christmas…but he hadn't once questioned what Christmas _was_. "Well…you know how you've been helping me and papa decorate for Christmas?" Honey nodded. "Well…Christmas is a holiday where you get your friends and family presents and celebrate all the good things in your life."

"So wassa Sanna Clause?"

"Well…Santa Clause gets presents for all the little children. Like in the book, he comes down the chimney the night before Christmas and leaves presents under the tree."

"Am I a children?"

"You're Kurt and David's child and mine, Snowball and Pavarotti's nephew." Both Kurt and David were shocked at this proclamation of Homer's; usually the rat was something of a curmudgeon.

"Sanna Clause is gonna get me pwesents?"

Kurt smiled and started scratching Honey's stomach. "Yep, but he's going to bring your presents a day early because all my family is coming over on Christmas Day and you know they don't understand how smart you are." Kurt stood up, taking Honeysuckle with him. Homer and Snowball scuttled down off the loveseat and headed back to their own room. Pavarotti flew after them; he had been invited to share in their little festivities for Christmas Eve-eve. Kurt laid Honeysuckle down in his own little bed (actually a cat-bed) and kissed his head. "Sleep tight, Honey. Before you know it, Santa will have come."

David leaned over to kiss Honeysuckle as well. "Night, buddy."

"Nigh-nigh dada. Nigh-nigh papa."

xoxoxo

David pulled his shirt over his head, tossing it to the corner of the bedroom, as he got ready for bed. "You know he's going to be special the rest of his life, right?"

"Honey's _very_ special."

"No…not the 'positive' meaning of special. He's…he's never going to completely heal from his injury." David tapped his temple, alluding to the damage Honey had suffered before coming to live with them.

"I don't care. That just means he'll never grow up and he'll always be my little baby."

"Who'd have thought you and I would have a kid, someday?" Opening Kurt's walk-in closet, David started digging through the presents they had hidden there, sorting the ones they'd need for tomorrow from the ones they wouldn't need until the day after.

Kurt smiled wistfully at David. "You know…when I was a child, I couldn't stand other kids. When I was a teenager, children were nothing more than little nuisances. When I was in college, other people's kids were kinda cute from afar. When Finn and Rachel had their first baby…you know, maybe kids weren't that bad? When your parents had Kalli, kids became kinda, _really_ cute. Honey, though…Honey is my _love_ David. He's the most precious, sweet, _perfect_ little creature I've ever met. I couldn't love him more if I had had him myself."

"He is a cute little bastard, isn't he?"

xoxoxo

Honey let out a sharp gasp as he got to the bottom of the stairs and saw all the present under the Christmas tree. "All for me! All for me!" Honey lunged at the tree, grabbing the nearest present with his teeth as he began ripping off the paper.

"_Honey_" David said as sternly as he could. "Those aren't _all_ for you. Some are for the other animals."

Honey looked up at David, his eyes wide and sorrowful. His voice came out whiny and sad, "But…all for _me_?" David shook his head pointedly, trying to put his foot down with Honey.

Kurt bounced into the living room with a tray of hot chocolate, cinnamon buns, and scrambled eggs. Pavarotti was already perched in the tree. Homer and Snowball were scuttling down the Habitrail tube David had installed next to the stairs. "So, who's going to be Santa's elf?"

All eyes turned towards David. "Santa's elf" was a tradition from Kurt's family. The person who was Santa's elf was in charge of handing out the presents. "I guess I will. Maybe next year, someone else will?" David looked at Kurt. _"Someone?...Anyone?"_ Kurt just smiled and shrugged as he sat in front of the tree, Honey quickly climbing up into his lap as he awaited his first present.

xoxoxo

"And a happy New Year to you, as well." Hera pulled David in close, kissing him on each cheek. She was timelessly gorgeous, as always. Her dark hair hung loose about her shoulders; her dark eyes were warm and welcoming, instead of sinister and malevolent. With her exotically tanned complexion, no man, no _person,_ could deny she was stunningly gorgeous. "How's your little piecemeal family?"

David shrugged a single shoulder as he sat down in front of Hera's work desk. He had come to her mortal place of employment – her nonprofit organization – to speak to her. "Everyone is well. Kurt and I are doing exceptionally well. My zoo is running flawlessly…we were even featured on some show on Animal Planet. Kurt's doing well with the fashion industry, also."

"I've seen some of his recent designs. Very…_monochromatic_. I suppose he's drawing inspiration from that new lapdog I hear he's carrying with him everywhere?"

"Skunk." David corrected. "Not lapdog."

"Oh, believe me, I know. It's rather cute, actually. His quirks fit in well with the family. I know some of the gods don't approve of the two of you; but, personally, I think you're adorable together."

David nodded amicably. "I'm glad you approve. _Genuinely_. I'm not being facetious. I've actually come to talk to you about our 'little piecemeal family.'" Hera raised a perfectly shaped eyebrow in interest. "Kurt and I are _very_ happy as 'Kurt and I'…but, we both agree we want a bit _more_ in our family."

"More?"

"Well…yes. I figured since you're the goddess of babies-"

"Oh, dear lord, David. Just _adopt_. Or find a surrogate. I'm not helping you and Kurt conceive. Not in this day and age." Hera composed herself, behind her desk. "You and Kurt are doing wonders to break down barriers and fight antiquated thought, but let's focus on _one_ thing at a time. The whole family is still not exactly behind you and Kurt's union. I can only imagine the outrage if one of you got pregnant."

"You misunderstand me, Hera."

"How so?"

David bit his lip. The thought had come to him as a dream and, like most dreams, was far-fetched, made little sense, and was unlikely to come true. But once the thought had wormed its way into his head, he couldn't get it out. "Kurt and I already _have_ a child…but he's _not_ a child." Hera's face scrunched up in confusion…yet she was _still_ drop-dead gorgeous. "Honeysuckle…the skunk, _he's_ our son, we just…we want it to be more real. I can turn him human; it's a simple matter. But he still won't be our child: not biologically. And not only that, but like any human, he'll be subject to death…something my father has vowed to stop messing around with."

"What are you asking of me, exactly?"

David sighed and waited for Zeus to strike him down with a lightning bolt. "I figured…since you're the goddess of childbirth and babies and what not…if I turned Honey human, you could, I dunno…make him biologically mine and Kurt's? Re-birth, so to speak."

Hera stared at David for a while. Her expression was stone; David couldn't divine any kind of impression from her look. "Do you have _any_ idea how pissed my husband would be with me if I had any part in this?"

"I know, bu-"

"So, when are we doing this?"

xoxoxo

Kurt checked in on Honey and noticed he wasn't in his bedroom. Nothing strange about that; David often got up early and took Honey with him out to take care of the animals. Kurt started downstairs, intent on getting his morning IV drip of coffee. There was the high-pitched squeal of a child giggling. Kurt wondered for a moment whether Kalli was visiting. Kalli was getting to be that age where she was starting to become more aware of her appearances. Kurt would absolutely _love_ to take her out to go shopping in New York or the Mall of America. It didn't _sound_ like Kalli, though. Kurt turned into the kitchen and spotted David hovering around the stove, a little boy beside him on a footstool stirring something on the stove. The boy was small…perhaps only three or four. He had pale, pale skin (much like Kurt's own) and dark black hair. It was cut just shaggy enough to curl loosely, similar to the way David's hair curled. Kurt didn't recognize the boy; though it was possible he belonged to one of David's nymphs. "Hello?"

David and the boy whipped around in surprise, neither having heard Kurt come into the kitchen. They looked like they had been caught doing something bad. "We were making you bweakfast."

Kurt cocked his head to the side. He _knew_ that voice. But…how was that possible? Kurt turned to his husband for answers, "David? Who's this?"

The little boy jumped down from the stepstool and ran up to hug Kurt. "I's _me_ dada! Uhm Honey!"

Kurt wrapped his arms around the little boy currently hugging his waist, still staring in confused shock at David. "I…I don't understand?"

David smiled his crooked, one-sided smile at Kurt. "It's Honeysuckle. I made him human. Hera made him _ours_."

"Ours?"

David nodded. "If a doctor were to do a paternity test on him, he'd come out as being one hundred percent ours."

"Ours?" Kurt let that sink in as he looked down at Honeysuckle. "Ours." When his brain had finally wrapped itself around that, Kurt fell to his knees and wrapped his arms around his baby.


	74. Epilogue Five - The End

"I'm not liking the whole 'mainstreaming' concept. Jamie has special needs that I don't think can be met in a normal classroom. Not to mention the other students…" Honey – _Jamie_ – sat in his daddy's lap as the special education instructor gave Kurt an update on his son's progress in school. His report card was pretty good, but Kurt knew well enough that Jamie's teachers tended to fudge his grades, and push them up, because they didn't really understand his disability.

"The other students actually love Jamie. There's been very little instance of any kind of bullying; the kids are protective of Jamie. And we're doing everything we can to make sure he gets the support he needs in his classes." Mrs. Bachman pulled out some paperwork and began shuffling through it. David was down the hall talking to Jamie's regular education teacher. "David has a paraprofessional to help him in his English class; this past marking period, they were working on individual research projects. Jamie did his report on platypuses."

"Duck-billed 'patypuses' don't quack."

Mrs. Bachman smiled indulgently at Jamie. "That's one of the many things Jamie learned while researching platypuses; he offered to bring one in to accompany his report, but I'm afraid the principal wouldn't go for it. In his history class we don't feel he needs a para; he practices taking notes in his history class and Mrs. Espara says he's doing well with that. For math, he comes here. We've been practicing division using counting blocks. He's getting _much_ better at it."

"David's been working with him on that. They practice dividing mice into different cages, birds into roosts, goats into pens. If Jamie can _see_ it, he can divide it. He has trouble with abstract concepts."

"Yes, another thing we've been trying to work on. The tools we use are just that, _tools_. We don't want them to become crutches for him. In science, he also has a para. It's probably Jamie's least favorite subject and the one he has the most trouble with." Jamie nodded; he hated science. "Next semester they're going to move away from sound and energy to biological adaptations. He'll probably like that, since the class will deal heavily with animals."

"Good; another thing David can help him with."

"Gym and art are Jamie's favorite subjects."

"I like kickball!" Jamie perked up. "I like lunch, too! Pizza on Fiday and noodles on Monday and chicken on Wed-day, stir fry on Tuesday and meat on Tersday. Vegetable-tarians have sammiches on Wed-day and Tersday."

"Jamie has also been meeting with a speech pathologist twice a week while the other students have health class. Jamie and the speech pathologist have been focusing, for the moment, on the correct pronunciation of _words_, and not so much letter combinations. Once Jamie has mastered the hundred most common words, then they'll move on to the most common syllabic sound groupings."

Kurt hugged Jamie more tightly. "I've noticed some of his words are clearer."

Mrs. Bachman leaned forward and rubbed Jamie's arm to get his attention. "So how are you liking middle school, Jamie?"

Jamie nodded against Kurt's chest. "I like school. I like bein' in the fiff grade. Uhmma –_ I'm_…_a_…big boy, now."

xoxoxo

"Do you have any more of the red two-dot ones?" Jamie dug around in his stash of Lego blocks until he was able to find a few two-dot Lego blocks for his aunt Kalli. Kalli added them onto her side of the brick house they were making together. Kalli's side of the house had alternating rows of coloured bricks: blue, yellow, white, red, blue, yellow, white, red. Jamie's side was a mismatch of different sizes and colours: whatever he could find at the time.

Kalli was spending the week with her brother and brother-in-law. She was developmentally six years older than her nephew (Jamie wasn't technically the age he appeared; he had been seven months when Hera and David had turned him into a three-year-old), but she still adored playing with him. "I found half a pie-wit."

Jamie handed the Lego pirate torso to his auntie so she could see it. "Can you say 'rit,' Honey? _Rrrr_it?" Kalli rolled her "r" to make it more evident.

"Wwrrrit." Jamie started out with the "w" sound but changed it over to an "r" partway through the word.

"Good. Now say 'pie-_rit_."

"Pie-rit. Pie-rit. Pirate."

"Very good, Jamie. Now try my name. Kallodoro. Kallod-" The sound of the doorbell cut Kalli off. "I'll go get it. Can you find me some more two-dot pieces?" As Jamie nodded, Kalli pushed herself up off the floor and started heading downstairs. When she opened the front door, she saw her father standing there, his left fist against the side of the door while he leaned forward, his head downcast. "Daddy! I'm not supposed to come home until Sunday."

Paul looked up and smiled weakly at his daughter. "I'm not here to collect you. I need to speak with Kurt."

Kalli watched her father warily; his behavior was very uncharacteristic for him. "I'll go get him. Come in." Paul followed his daughter and waited in the living room of his former home for his son-in-law to show up. Instead, he was greeted by his grandson stumbling down the stairs.

"Grandpa!"

Paul forced a smile on his face and snatched up his grandson. "Hello, Honeysuckle. How are you doing?"

"Good! My English teacher gave me a picture book about you and grandma to read. It's by Sally Clayton. She got everything wrong, though."

Paul laid his cheek on Jamie's head. "They usually do."

"Hey, Paul." Kurt came into the living room, Kalli trailing behind.

Kalli went up to her grandpa and held out her hands, taking her nephew from his arms. "Come on Jamie. Let's let our daddies talk. We'll go finish building our house."

"How're things going, Paul?"

Paul held his hand up in front of him, palm side up; a file folder appeared in his hand. Paul began flipping through the pages inside. When he got a few dozen pages in, he stopped and handed the folder to Kurt, open to the page he had found.

Kurt looked at the page. It was a list of names and other data. Kurt allowed his eyes to wander down the page until it came to a stop on one very familiar name:

Hummel, Burt – 2037 March 12 – 0453 – Cardiac arrest

Kurt sat down, one hand behind him, trying to find the seat, the other still gripping the folder. "Is this…this is…"

"I'm sorry, Kurt." Paul sat down beside Kurt, his hands folded in his lap.

"Will it be painful?"

Paul shook his head. "No. He'll probably go in his sleep. It'll be quiet." As an afterthought, Paul, nearly whispering, said to himself, "'_No shock. No engulfment. No tearing asunder. What you feared would come like an explosion is like a whisper. What you thought was the end is the beginning.' _You've been there Kurt; you know it isn't frightening; it isn't painful. I'll be there to meet him at the Plains of Judgment. I'll have your mother waiting there as well." Kurt was quiet. Not showing any reaction to what Paul was telling him. "He's nearly 80 Kurt. He's led a good, long life."

"That doesn't make it any easier. It _should_, but it won't…I want to be there, as well." Paul nodded. He couldn't deny Kurt such a simple request.

xoxoxo

"Hey Carol, it's Kurt. Yes, everyone's doing well." Kurt stopped talking as Carol started. "Yep…actually, I was hoping we could all go out for dinner sometime this weekend. Friday, Saturday, Sunday…whatever."

xoxoxo

It was a good dinner. Kurt hadn't told Jamie or David the point of the dinner (they were horrible actors), but they all still made the most of it. Burt and Carol both fawned over their grandson, as usual. Emotionally and psychologically, it was a good dinner for Kurt. He got to spend one last evening with his dad; but, at the same time, he could see that it really was time for his dad to go. His father's hearing had started going a long time ago; his memory was suffering; his breathing sounded labored. According to Carol he was having more and more difficulty getting around. Burt Hummel had lived a long, fulfilling life with surprisingly few health issues given how old he was when he had started taking care of himself.

Kurt was already in bed that night when he finally let himself _feel_. He was curled against David when the tears started rolling slowly down his face. David, feeling the moisture against his chest, pulled back to look at Kurt. "Are you ok?" Those three words were all it took for the floodgates to open. Kurt began crying with an intensity he hadn't known since he was a child – since his mother had died. David rocked Kurt back and forth, trying to sooth him like a baby. Kurt was pretty certain he was able to get the words out between sobs at one point, but finally he cried himself to sleep.

xoxoxo

Three days later, Kurt and David woke up a sleeping Jamie and brought him to the Underworld. They stood somberly beside Paul, Sophie and Kurt's mother, behind the judges. Between the three judges, they had to "sentence" nearly four people per second. Of course, time flowed differently in the Underworld, but they still had a heavy caseload and there was a constant stream of people. Kurt couldn't imagine how they would spot his father in all this, but they did. Jamie was the one to spot him. "Grandpa."

He looked younger. _Much_ younger. Perhaps in his early thirties. He looked healthy and stronger, as well. Burt didn't seem to see them, even though he was looking right at them. Aeacus pointed at Burt Hummel, and directed him to the "Asphodel Shore," the place for people who were neither great heroes, nor evil. Burt stepped off the path, heading into Asphodel and a light came to his eyes as realization seemed to dawn on him. He looked over his son and grandson. "What's going on?" And then he spotted his beloved, belated wife. Burt stepped forward, and faltered. Elizabeth closed the distance between them. "Lizzy…I've missed you so much."

"It's ok, Burt. You're home now."

Burt nodded, "I know…I'm dead, aren't I?" Elizabeth nodded solemnly. "Why…why are they here?" Burt gestured to Kurt, David, Jamie, Sophie and Paul. "Are they…?"

"No, dad. I…I died when I was a teenager, but the god of the Underworld took pity on me and brought me back. He made me a god when I got sick and nearly died a second time."

"God?"

Kurt nodded and gestured to Paul. "The Greek myths and legends are true, Burt. Zeus, Hercules, the Odyssey…all of it." Burt just stared at Paul…he wanted to not believe him, but, somehow, everything just felt right. They weren't lying. Lies didn't exist. Not here; not now; not in this place.

"So you're all gods?"

Kurt nodded again. "I'm the god of fashion…I'm one of the muses. Paul is Hades; Sophie is Persephone. David is their son, Zagreus, god of domesticated animals and pests."

"He always was a pest, wasn't he?"

Kurt smiled, trying to hold back the tears. He was so glad his father wasn't suffering any…though he knew that wasn't possible for him, not any longer. "And Jamie here…well, we don't know what he's god of, yet."

"So he isn't adopted, then? Unless you adopted him from another god?"

Jamie answered for himself. "I'm a skunk!"

"A skunk? He's…is he that skunk you used to have as a pet?"

"Yes. Hera and David made him human, then changed his DNA so that he was our son."

Burt got down on one knee and checked his grandson out, seemingly for the first time. "So you really _are_ my grandson?"

Jamie didn't understand the question; he didn't know Burt was alluding to the fact that he'd always assumed Jamie was adopted. He answered the best he could. "Yup. And you're my grandpa."

Burt smiled as Jamie wrapped his arms around Burt's neck. "Always, buddy. Always."

**xoxoxo**

**It's been a fun ride. I'm glad you all enjoyed this so much. The reviews I've gotten for the last few chapters have been among my favorite reviews. **

**For those of you wondering, I imagine Honeysuckle (Jamie) will grow up to be the god of those with handicaps or disabilities (it's astounding that there's no god of the handicapped considering there **_**is**_** a handicapped god [Hephaestus]!).**

**Edit: I forgot to mention: the quote Paul whispers to himself is from the Twilight Zone episode "Nothing in the Dark" about "Mr. Death." It's the single most beautiful episode of Twilight Zone. I highly recommend you watch it.  
><strong>


End file.
